
Oass. 



S/f^ 



Book. 



Jt 



lO 



THE 



FOOD AND GAME FISHES 



or NEW YORK 



BY 



TARLETON H. BEAN 

CKlef, Department FisK end Came, "World's Fair, St. Louis 




ALBANY 

J. B. LYON COMPANY, PRINTERS 

190a 



atate of New qoii^ 
Forest, Fisl) and (ianie Commission 



Tf)e Pood 

and 

(iame Ptsl)es of Nev Uorl^: 

Notes on tl)eir Common Names, Distribation, Habits 
and Aode of Capture 

[WitI) 9 Plates and 132 Text rigores] 
BY 

Tarteton M. :^ean, A. 3., A. D. 

Chief, Department of Fisl) and (iame, World's Fair, 3t. Loois 



-/ 




ALBANY 

J. B. LYON COMPANY, PRINTERS 

1903 




97. THE CRAl'l'lE, 

DEC 28 1903 
D.ofD. 



Common Names of Fishes. 



Num- 
ber. 




Page. 


Num- 
ber. 




Page. 


49. Anchovy, ^litchill's, 


311 


148. 


Dab, sand. 


459 


48. Anchovy, striped. 


310 


128. 


Drum, ... 


433 


98, Bass, calico, . . . . 


384 


129. 


Drum, fresh-water, 


436 


106. Bass, large mouth black, 


396 


124. 


Drum, red. 


428 


99. Bass, rock, 


386 


36. 


Eel, .... 


292 


1 14 Bass, sea. 


411 


28. 


Fallfish, 


285 


105. Bass, small mouth black. 


394 


115- 


Flasher, 


414 


112. Bass, striped. 


406 


147. 


Flounder, four-spotted. 


458 


III. Bass, white. 


405 


146. 


Flounder, southern, 


457 


130. Bergall, 


437 


145' 


Flounder, summer. 


456 


131. Blackfish, 


439 


149. 


Flounder, winter, 


460 


93. Bluefish, 


377 


34- 


Goldfish, 


289 


103. Blue-gill, 


39° 


138. 


Haddock, 


448 


85. Benito, .... 


368 


140. 


Hake, .... 


451 


17. Bullhead, black. 


276 


141. 


Hake, squirrel. 


452 


139. Burbot, 


449 


143- 


Halibut, 


454 


96. Butter Fish, . 


381 


95- 


Harvest Fish, 


381 


35. Carp, .... 


290 


44- 


Herring, branch. 


302 


19. Carp, lake. 


277 


45- 


Herring, glut. 


3°4 


10. Catfish, channel. 


270 


53- 


Herring, lake. 


317 


1 1. Catfish, lake. 


271 


41. 


Herring, sea. 


298 


13. Catfish, long-jawed. 


273 


32- 


Horned Chub, 


288 


16 Catfish, marbled, . 


276 


29. 


Horned Dace, 


286 


18. Catfish, stone. 


277 


15- 


Horned Pout, 


274 


14. Catfish, white. 


273 


127. 


Kingfish, 


432 


12. Catfish, yellow. 


272 


88. 


Kingfish, Sierra, 


371 


87. Cero, 


37° 


I. 


Lamprey, great sea, 


261 


137. Cod, 




447 


55- 


Long Jaw, 


319 


37. Conger, 




294 


83. 


Mackerel, chub, 


366 


94, Crab-eater, 




379 


82. 


Mackerel, common, 


365 


97. Crappie, 




382 


86. 


Mackerel, Spanish, 


369 


91. Crevalle, 




374 


90. 


Mackerel, yellow. 


373 


126. Croaker, 




431 


76. 


Mascalonge, 


359 


142. Cusk, 




453 


78. 


Mascalonge, barred. 


360 


Si Cutlips, 




288 


77 


Mascalonge, northern, . 


360 


144. Dab, rough. 




455 


47 


Menhaden, 


309 



COMMON NAMKS OF MSIIES. 



31. iVIinnow, lake, 


288 


71- 


38. Moon- Eye, . . . . 


296 


132. 


54. Moon-Eye, Cisco, 


318 


125- 


39. Moon-Eye, northern, 


297 


61. 


80. Mullet, striped. 


363 


7- 


81. Mullet, white. 


36s 


8. 


6. Paddle-fish, ,. . . 


265 


9- 


no. Perch, yellow. 


403 


21. 


113. Perch, white. 


409 


22. 


72. Pickerel, banded, . 


353 


20. 


74. Pickerel, chain. 


355 


24. 


73. Pickerel, little. 


354 


23- 


117. Pig Fish, 


417 


25' 


75. Pike, common. 


356 


26. 


109. Pike, gray. 


402 


104. 


107. Pikeperch 


398 


lOI. 


135. Pollack, 


444 


102. 


92. Pompano, common, 


376 


89. 


27. Red Horse, 


284 


3°' 


116. Red Snapper, 


415 


136. 


133. Rosefish, 


442 


68. 


69. Saibling, 


347 


62. 


119. Sailor's Choice, 


421 


63 


58. Salmon, Atlantic, 


324 


67. 


59. Salmon, landlocked. 


327 


60, 


57. Salmon, king, 


323 


64. 


108, Sauger, 


401 


65. 


118. Scup, .... 


419 


70. 


46. Shad, .... 


305 


66. 


40. Shad, gizzard. 


297 


56 
84 


43. Shad, hickory. 


301 


120. Sheepshead, 


422 


79. Silversides, 


362 


100 


5. Skate, barn door, . 


264 


121 


4. Skate, clear-nosed, 


264 


122 


2. Skate, common. 


262 


5' 


3. Skate, spotted. 


263 


5° 


42. Skipjack, 


300 


134 


52. Smelt, .... 


. 316 


123 



Smelt 


351 


Spade Fish, 


440 


Spot, .... 


429 


Steelhead, 


330 


Sturgeon, common, 


266 


Sturgeon, lake. 


267 


Sturgeon, short-nosed. 


269 


Sucker, common. 


278 


Sucker, hog, 


280 


Sucker, long-nosed. 


277 


Sucker, northern chub, 


281 


Sucker, southern chub, 


281 


Sucker, striped. 


282 


Sucker, white-nosed, 


283 


Sunfish, 


392 


Sunfish, green. 


388 


Sunfish, long-eared, 


389 


Sword Fish, . 


372 


Tench, .... 


287 


Tomcod, 


445 


Trout, brook. 


344 


Trout, brown^ 


332 


Trout, hybrid, 


335 


Trout, lake, . 


342 


Trout, Lake Tahoe, 


329 


Trout, Lochleven, 


■ 336 


Trout, rainbow. 


338 


Trout, Sunapee, . 


349 


Trout, Swiss lake. 


340 


Tullibee, 


321 


Tunny 


367 


Warmouth, 


388 


Weakfish, 


424 


Weakfish, spotted. 


426 


Whitefish, common. 


313 


Whitefish, round. 


311 


Whiting. 


443 


Yellowlail, 


427 



Pood and (iame Pfe{)e5 of Rev ^orl^. 

By TARLETON H. BEAN, 

CHIEF, DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME, WORLD'S FAIR, ST. LOUIS. 



Introdactor^g Chapter. 

THE most recent catalogue of New York fishes includes 375 species, but this 
is to some extent a compilation, and the number is liable to change after 
systematic investigations of the inland waters have been made. 

The food and game fishes mentioned in this article number 149 species. These 
belong to 36 families, of which the most important in the number of species repre- 
sented are the Catfish, the Sucker, the Minnow, the Herring, the Salmon, the Pike, 
the Mackerel, the Sunfish, the Weakfish, the Cod, and Flatfish families. 

The State is greatly diversified in contour and has an extensive water area. Its 
drainage systems are the Great Lakes, Lake Champlain, the St. Lawrence, the Ohio 
Basin, the Susquehanna, the Delaware, the Hudson, with such adjacent small 
streams as the Passaic, rfackensack, Walkill and Bronx, and the great inland lakes, 
nearly all of which communicate vvith Lake Ontario. 

Long Island is richer in fishes than the rest of the State, but its species are 
chiefly marine ; its fresh waters contain few kinds and of those about one-half are 
recent introductions. 

The only extended systematic series of observations upon the occurrence of the 
fishes in any part of the State appears to be recorded by the writer in the Bulletin 
of the American Museum of Natural History, volume IX, 1897, pages 374 to 375. 
This is the record of Mr. W. I. DeNyse at Gravesend Beach, Long Island, for 1895 
to 1897. The following table is copied from the publication referred to as far as it 
relates to the food and game fishes of the present article : 



~5^ SKVENTII RKI'ORT Ol' THE F( )RKSr, KISH AND f;AME COMMISSION. 



W. I, DkNvsk's Recorii nr Shipments of Fish from Gravesend Bay to the N. Y, 
Aquarium, 1895-97, Showing the Months when the Species were Caught. 





>• 

<l 
D 
Z 
< 


> 

p! 

< 

oi 
n 

M 
b 


33 
u 

1: 


5 

CL. 

< 


< 


w 
z 

D 


> 


D 



D 

< 


u 


a 
c 

£- 

u 






u 

w 
u 


Sea Lamprey, . . . 






X 


X 




X 














Common Skate, 






eggs 

X 
















X 




Ham Door Skate, - 




















X 






Common Sturgeon, - 








X 


X 












X 


X 


Short-nosed Sturgeon, - 










X 
















Eel, 






X 






X 


X 










X 


Conger, . . - - 
























X 


Sea Herring, 


X 














X 


X 


X 


X 


X 


Alewife, . - - - 










X 


X 


X 


X 


X 


X 


X 




Shad, - - - - 




















X 


X 




Menhaden, - - - - 














X 


X 


X 


X 






Smelt, ... - 


-^ 






X 
















X 


Silversides, - - - - 






X 
















X 


X 


Striped Mullet, - 




















X 






Mackerel, . . - - 










X 
















Benito, - - - - 


















X 








Yellow Mackerel, - 


















X 


X 






Crevall(f, - - - - 


















X 


X 






Common Pom]>ano, 
















X 


X 


X 






Bluefish, - - - - 


















X 


X 






Butter Fish, . . - - 










X 








X 


X 






Striped Bass, 








X 




X 






X 




X 


X 


White Perch, 


X 






X 












X 


X 


X 


Sea Bass, - - - - 








X 


X 


X 


X 


X 


X 


X 


X 


X 


Scup, . . - - - 








X 


X 


X 




X 


X 


X 


X 




Sheepshead, . . - 


















X 








Weakfish, ... - 












X 






X 


X 


X 




\'ellowtail. 


















X 


X 


X 




Spot, 














X 




X 


X 


X 


X 



THE FOOD ANH GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 
VV. I. DeNyse's Record — Continued. 



253 





< 
< 


< 

ta 





a, 
< 


< 






p 




OS 

w 
m 

w 

H 
W 


a; 
w 
m 

H 
u 



a: 

w 
m 

Ui 




a 

a 
a 


Kingfish, - - - - 










X 






X 




X 






Drum, 










X 










X 


X 


X 


Bergall, - - - - 














X 




X 








Blackfish, . - - - 








X 


X 




X 


X 


X 






X 


NVhiting, - - - - 




















X 






Tomcod, . - - - 


X 




X 


X 


X 










X 


X 


X 


Cod, - - - - - 




















X 


X 




Common Hake, 








X 


X 










X 


X 


X 


Squirrel Hake, - 




















X 






Flatfish, ; - - - 


X 






X 






X 




X 




X 


X 



The above record is not intended to show the full period during which the 
species are present in Gravcsend Bay, as a glance at its contents will indicate. Any 
one familiar with the habits of the migratory and resident fishes will observe this 
fact. It is important, however, in the respect that it marks the duration of the 
stay of many valuable fishes in that body of water. It is interesting to note how 
many of them are present in the early winter months. 

Mr. Eugene Smith of Hoboken has given me a list of fishes observed by him in 
Wawayanda Creek, small streams at Warwick, Greenwood Lake, Ramapo River, 
head streams of Saddle River and Hackensack streams. The food and game fishes 
obtained in these waters by Mr. Smith are : Horned Pout, Common Sucker, Chub 
Sucker, Brook Trout, Chain Pickerel, Eel, Rock Bass (introduced). Long-eared Sun- 
fish, Common Sunfish, Small-mouth Black Bass, Large-mouth Black Bass and 
Yellow Perch. 

The o-eneral distribution of the food and game fishes of New York is shown m 
the following table, which is based chiefly upon recent investigations, but partly 
upon records which have not lately been verified : 



254 SEVENTH RErOKT Ol- THE FOREST, l-TSII A\D GAME COMMISSION. 



Recorded Distrihttion of the Food and (Jame Fishes of New York. 



1. Great Sea Lamprey, 

2. Common Skate, 

3. Spotted Skate, 

4. Clear-nosed Skate, 

5. Barn Door Skate, - 

6. Paddle-fish, 

7. Common Sturgeon, 

8. Lake Sturgeon, - 

9. Short-nosed Sturgeon, - 

10. Channel Cat, 

11. Lake Catfish, 

12. Yellow Cat, 

13. Long-jawed Catfish, 

14. White Cat, 

15. Horned Pout, 

16. Marbled Cat, - 

17. Black Bullhead, - 

18. Stone Cat, 

19. Lake Carp, - 

20. Long-nosed Sucker, - 

21. Common Sucker,* - 

22. Hog Sucker, 

23. Southern Chub Sucker,t 

24. Northern Chub Sucker, 

25. Striped Sucker, - 







m 








•s. 








< 








Cd 




2; 




a. 














z 






m 


w 








<: 
m 


< 






z 


ir. 




^ 







z 






c 




.J 


Q 


z 




u 




c 




Q 


X 




A 








X 
X 
X 
X 
X 

X 

X 


X 


X 








X 


X 






X 






X 


X 






X 


X 






X 


X 







* Recorded also from the Walkill, 
f Recorded also from the I'ass.iic : 



saic and Ilackensack. 
Hackunsack. 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 255 

Recorded Distribution of the P'ood and Game Fishes of New York — Coiitiniii-d. 





w 

< 
J 

H 
<! 
W 


M 

< 

at, 

2 

M 
H 

z 


G 

< 
'r. 



< 

£ 

3 
< 


X 

< 


< 


5 




< 
z 

z 

< 

X 

p 

D 


z 
< 

CQ 

w 
5 

w 
Q 


z 

-1: 

z 

Q 
D 
X 


s 
< 

a 
cm 

h 

Q 

z 


z 



z 

s 

s 






a 
< 
z 
< 


26. White-nosed Sucker, - 


X 




X 




















27. Red Horse, - 


X 


X 


X 




X 


X 






X 








28. Fallfish, - 


X 




X 




X 




X 


X 


X 








29. Horned Dace, 


X 




X 




X 


X 


X 


X 


X 








30. Tench, 


' 


















X 






31. Lake Minnow, 


X 
























32. Horned Chub, - 


X 


X 








X 


X 




X 








T,^. Cutlips, 


X 


X 


X 




X 




X 


X 


X 








34. Goldfish, - 


















X 


X 






35- Carp, - - - - 


X 


X 








X 






X 


X 






36. Eel.* 


X 


X 


X 




X 




X 


X 


X 


X 






37. Conger, 






















X 




38. Moon Eye, 


X 




X 




X 


X 














39. Northern Moon-Eye, 


X 










X 














40. Gizzard Shad, - 


X 










X 














41. Sea Herring, - 






X 
















X 




42. Skipjack, - 


X 










X 














43. Hickory Shad, 
























X 


44. Branch Herring, 


X 


X 


X 








X 


X 


X 






X 


45. Glut Herring, 
























X 


46. Shad, 


X 




X 


















X 


47. Menhaden, 






















X 




48. Striped Anchovy, 






















X 




49. Mitchill's Anchovy, 






















X 




50. Round Whitefish, 


X 




X 


X 


X 
















51. Common Whitefish, 


X 


X 


X 


X 


X 
















52. Smelt, New York Lakes, 




X 























'Recorded also from the Walkill, Passaic and Hackensack. 



256 SKVEXriI REPORT OK THE FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. 
Recorded Distribution of the Food and Game Fishes of New York — Continued. 









■f. 








a 






■Si 


u. 






■X 








< 








J 








'-^ 


u. 






< 
















X 


y. 






- 


~ 


53- 


Lake Herring, 


X 


X 


54- 


Moon-Eye Cisco, 




X 


SS- 


I-ong Jaw, 


X 




56. 


Tullibce, - 




X 


57- 


King Salmon, 


X 




5«- 


Atlantic Salmon, 


X 




59- 


Landlocked Salmon, 






60. 


Lake Tahoe Trout, - 






61. 


Steelhead, 


X 





62. 

64. 
65- 

66. 
67. 
6.S. 
69. 
70- 
7'- 
72. 
73- 
74- 
75- 
76, 



Urown 'I'roiit,* - 
Hybrid Trout, 
Lochleven Trout, 
Rainbow Trout, f - 
Swiss l,ake T"rout,t 
Lake Trout, - 
IJrook Trout,]; - 
Saibling.S 
Sunapee Trout, f 
Smelt, - 
Handed I'ickerel, 
Little l'i< kcrcl. 
Chain l'i( kerel,|. 
Common I'ike, 
NLiscalonge, 



* Introduced into many tioul waters. 

■f liUroducdl into Take (U-orge. 

t Recorded also in tlie Walkill and Passaic. 

s; Introduccil into Slerlinj; Lake. 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES Ol'' XKW V(_H<K. 



257 



Recorded Distrii!Utu)n of the Food and Game Fishes oe New York — Coiitiiiiicc/. 



90. 

91- 
92, 

93- 
94. 

95- 
96. 

97- 
98. 

99 
100, 



103 



Northern Mascalonge, 

Barred Mascalonge, - 

Silversides, - 

Striped Mullet, - 

White Mullet, 

Common Mackerel, - 

Chub Mackerel, 

Tunny, 

Bonito, - 

Spanish Mackerel, 

Cero, 

King Fish ; Sierra, - 

Sword Fish, - 

Yellow Mackerel, 

Crevall^. 

Common Pompano, - 

Bluefish, 

Crab-eater, 

Harvest Fish, 

Butter Fish, 

Crappie, 

Calico Bass, 

Rock Bass, 

Warmouth, 

Green Suntish, 

Long-eared Sunfish, 

Blue-gill, 

17 



258 SEVKNTH RKl'OKT OF THE FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. 
Recorded Distribution of the Food and Game Fishes of New York — Continued. 





•s. 

< 
J 

< 




•J. 

< 


5 

H 
Z. 


a 
i- 


104. Sunfish,* - 


.X 


X 


> 


105. Small-mouth Black Bass,f 


X 


X 




106. Large-mouth Black Bass.J 


X 


X 




107. Pike Perch, - 


X 


X 




108. Sauger, 


X 


X 




109. Gray Pike, 


X 


X 




no. Yellow l'erch,§ - 


X 


X 




III. White Bass.ll 


X 






112. Striped Bass, 






y 


113. White Perch, 








114. Sea Bass, - 








115. Flasher, 








I 16. Red Snapper, 








117. Pig Fish, 








118. Scup, 








119. Sailor's Choice, 








120. Sheepshead, 








121. Weakfish, 








122. Spotted Weakfish, 








123. Yellowtail, 








124. Red Drum, 








125. Spot, . - - - 








126. Croaker, - 








127. Kingfish, 

















tn 








z 






s 




































pa 


X 




m 








< 




z 


«j 








Z 


35 




Q 





s 

a: 


< 


< 
X 


< 


< 

z 




< 


z 





< 


Q 





X 


<l 






a 







< 


z 







a 


X 


J 


-= 


< 


X 


X 


X 


X 


X 






X 


X 


X 


X 


X 






X 


X 


X 


X 


X 






X 


X 


X 










X 


X 


X 


X 


X 






X 
















X 


X 


X 
X 


X 
X 


X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 


X 
X 



♦ Recorded also from the Walkill, Passaic and Hackeiisack. 

■f Introduced into the Passaic, 

X Recorded from the Walkill, Passaic and Bronx. 

g Recorded also from the Passaic and Hackensack, 

I Introduced into dreenwood Lake. 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 



!59 



Recorded Distribution of the Food and Game Fishes of New Yok^ — CohcIiu/.-J. 



128. Drum, 

129. Fresh-water Drum, 

130. Hergall, 

131. Blackfish, 

132. Spade Fish, 

133. Rosefish, 

134. Whiting, - 

135. Pollack, 

136. Tomcod, - 

137. Cod, 

138. Haddock, 

139. Burbot, 

140. Hake, 

141. Squirrel Hake, 

142. Cusk, - ' - 

143. Halibut, 

144. Rough Dab, 

145. Summer Flounder, 

146. Southern Flounder, - 

147. Four-spotted Flounder, 

148. Sand Dab, 

149. Flatfish, 



26o 



SKVliNTIl RKI'liKr i )!■ THK l-( )KKST, KISII AMi C.AMI'; COMMISSION. 



The names cmployctl in this cataloj^uc are csscntiall\- the same as those used in 
" l''ishes of North and Middle America" b\- Jordan & ICverinann. Some of the 
specific names differ from those given b}- Jordan & Mvermann for reasons which arc 
fully exphiincd in the author's "Catalogue of the Fishes of New "\'ork," forming 
bulletin 60 of the New ^'ork State Museum. 

Tile references to the literature are purposely limited to the writings of Mitchill, 
DeKay, antl a few more recent authors who have written especially about the fishes 
of the State, or whcisc works contain descriptions of all the species. 

Illustrations of the fishes ha\-e been freel\- introduced in order to furnish the 
easiest method of identification by the non-scientific reader. The use of these illus- 
trations was made possible by the courtesy of Hon. George M. Bowers, U. S. Com- 
missioner of Fish and Fisheries. 




THE CALICO BASS. 



Notes on Common Names, Distrilxtlion, Habits and Captttre 
of New ^orl^ risl)es. 



I. Great Sea Lamprey {Pc/?-oiiiy:jiiii inariiins T.iniKieus). 

Pctnyinxzon iiiarinus .Ml il hill, Trans. Lit. iv; I'liil. Soi . N. \'., 1, j,6i, i<Si5 ; I)lK-4\', 
N. V. Fauna, Fishes, 379, pi. LXVI, fig. 216, 1842 ; Jokd.an & Evermann, Bull. 
47, U. S. Nat. Mils., I, 10, 1896, ])l. I, fig. 3, 1900. 

The Sea Lamprey, or Lamprey Eel, iniiabit.s the North Athintic, asceiidin;^ 
streams to spawn. The species ranges southward on cnir coast to Viri^inia. hi the 
Delaware, Susquehanna, and tlieir tributaries, this is a common fish. Its larval 
form, which is blind and toothless, is e.Ktremel_\- abuntlant in muddy sandflats near 
the mouths of small streams and is a very imjjortant bait for hook and line fishing. 




GREAT SEA LAMPREY. 

The Sea Lamprey grows to a length of 3 feet. It is dark brown in color, 
mottled with black and white. In the breeding season, in spring, the males have a 
high fleshy ridge in front of the dorsal. The spawning is believed to take place in 
May or June. The eels cling to the rocks by means of their suctorial mouths and 
the eggs are deposited in shallow water on a rough bottom where the current is 
swift. Some observers state that they make nests by heaping up stones in a circle 
and deposit the eggs under the stones. The ovaries are large, but the eggs are 
very small. 

The food of the Lamprey is chiefly animal matter and the fi.sh is somewhat of a 
parasite, burrowing into the side of shad, sturgeon and some other species. The 
teeth are adapted for this method of feeding. The tooth bearing bone of the upper 
side of the mouth contains two teeth which are placed close together. On the bone 
corresponding with the lower jaw there are seven or nine stout cusps. There are 
numerous teeth around the disk; the first row on the side of the mouth containing 



262 



SEVKNTIl UKI'OKT OK TIIK FOREST, FISH AM) GAME COMMISSION. 



bicuspid teeth, tlic others are simple. The tooth on the front of the tongue has a 
deep median groove. Tlie species is adapted for fastening itself to other fishes and 
extracting from them their blood. 

The Lamprey is considered a good food fisli in some localities, but in other places 
it is rarely eaten. In Connecticut and Massachusetts the species is highly esteemed. 
It is preserved by salting for several weeks before using. The fish are sometimes 
caught with the hands or by means of a pole armed with a hook in the end. As it 
is found in shallow water and will not usually relinquish its hold on the bottom, its' 
capture is easily effected. 

2. Common Skate [/\<ijir iriimcen Alitchill). 

Ha/a fiinacn/s .Mrrcmi.L, .\m. Jour. Sci. Arts, IX, 290. pi. 6 (male), 1825 ; Df.Kay, 

N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 372, pi. I^XXVIII, fig. 246, 1842. 
Jiaja criiiacca Jord.\n & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., I, 68, 1896, pi. IX, 

fig. 29, 1900. 




,•'■-•.■■ \ 
■■■■"./ 



COMMON SKATE. 

A very common species on our coast, from Maine to Virginia. It is one of the 
small rays and is not much valued for food. Eggs of this Skate have been obtained 
in Gravesend Bay in March. In captivity eggs have been deposited in winter. The 
species will endure captivity during the spring, fall, and part of the winter, but not 
at all in summer. 

Mitchill had the ray from Rarnegat and from ofT Sandy Hook. DeKay did not 
sec the fish, but copied the description and figure of Mitchill. Smith refers to it as 
the "Summer Skate" or "Bonnet Skate. It is found at Woods Hole from 
June to October. The names " Hedgehog Ray " and " Bonnet Skate" are given in 



THE KOOI) AM) CAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 



263 



allusion to its habit of nilliiit;- itself up when caught. At Southampton, L. I., this 
species was taken in small numbers August 3, 1S98. 

3. Spotted Skate (AV/" occllata Mitchill). 

Raja PCfllata Mitchill, Trans. Lit. X: l^hil. Soc. N. Y., I, 477, 1815. 

Raia occllata DeK.w, N. V. Fauna, Fishes, 369, 1S42 (not pi. 65, fisr. 212). 

The Spotted Skate reaches a length of nearly 3 feet ; its egg cases are more than 
twice as large as those of R. crinacca. The species is found from New York to 
Massachusetts and northward. 



X 



/■ 



V. 



j0 



SPOTTED SKATE. 

Dr. Mitchill described a specimen which was 30 inches long and 19 inches wide. 
Dr. DeKay calls this species the Spotted Ray. He found the stomach of one filled 
with rock crabs (Cancer irroratns\. To the fishermen this and allied species are 
known as Skate. It has no commercial value in Great South Bay. In the traps at 
Islip Skates reappear on October i on their fall migration. A female was caught 
near the inlet, at Fire Island, September 29, 1898. The species was more abundant 
later in the fall. 

At Woods Hole, according to Dr. Smith, this is the Big Skate or Winter Skate. 
It is common from February to June and from October 15 to the end of the trap 
fishing: it is absent or very rare in summer. 



264 SKVKNTH REPORT OF THE FORESl', 1-ISII AND GAME COMMISSION. 

4. Clear-nosed Skate [Knjn ig/aiitcrid Bosc). 

Haja fg/atitcria V>o?,c in Lacepede, Hist. Nat. I'oiss., II, 104, 109, 1800; Jordan & 

EvERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Miis., I, 71, 1896. 
Raja diaphanes Mitchii.l, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y., 478, 1815. 

The Clear-nosed Skate, sometimes called Briar Ray, reaches a length of 2 feet 
or more. It inhabits the Eastern Coast of the United States from Cape Cod to 
Florida ; it has been found moderately common in Great South Bay in and near 
Fire Island Inlet. Early in September both males and females were caught at Fire 
Island Inlet and W'igo Inlet, but in October the species appeared to be scarce. It 
has no commercial value in the bay and is usually thrown away. 

At Woods Hole, Mass., it is not common. A few are taken every year in traps 
at Menemsha, Martha's Vineyard. 



"S. 



BARN DOOR SKATE. 

5. Barn Door Skate ^Raja l<evis MitchillV 

Raja lisvis Mrrcmi.i., .\m. Month. Mag., II, 327, 1818. 
Rata Icevis DeKay, N. V. Fauna, Fishes, 370, 1842. 

The Barn Door Skate reaches a length exceeding 4 feet : it is used to sotne 
extent for food. The species has been taken in (^iravesend Bay in October. It 
suffers in captivity for the want of sand and mud and because of the lack of suitable 
food, its average duration of life being 3 or 4 months. 

Mitchill described an individual measuring 49 inches which was caught at a 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 



265 



wharf in the East Rivc-r, November 5, 181 5. At Woods Hole, Mass., it is common 
in spring and fall, rare in summer. 

6. Paddle-Fish iPolyodou spat hula Walbaum). 

Polyodoii foliniii Mitchili., Am, Jour. Sti. Arts, XII, 201, 1S27. 

PohoJon spathiila Jordan & Ever.m.\.\'N, Bull. 47, U. .S. Nat. Mus., I, loi, 1896. 

This is known as the Paddlc-fish, Spoonbill or .Spoon-billed .Sturgeon, Shovel 
Fish, Bill Fish, and Duck-billed Cat. It is called "Salmon" in some Western hotels. 
The names are derived from the remarkable snout, which is produced into a long 
spatula-shaped process, covered above and below with an intricate network and with 
very thin flexible edges. The head and snout form nearly half of the entire length 
of the fish. The fish cannot be confounded with anything else in the waters of the 
United States. There is in China a similar fish, which, however, belongs to a differ- 
ent genus. 

The Paddle-fish is usually confined to the Mississippi Valley, but it has been 




PADDLE-FISH. 

recorded in Chautauqua Lake, and it is common in the Alleghany and the Monon- 
gahela Rivers. It grows to a length of 6 feet, and a weight of 30 pounds or more. 
The species frequents muddy bottoms, but does not feed on the mud and slime, as 
many persons have supposed. The long snout is useful in procuring its food, 
which consists chiefly of entomostraca, water worms, aquatic plants, leeches, beetles 
and insect larva;. 

Prof. S. A. Forbes, director of the Illinois Laboratory of Natural Histor\', has 
published the first and most satisfactory account of the feeding habits of this 
shark-like fish. He found very little mud mi.xed with the food. Prof. Forbes was 
informed by the fishermen that the Paddle-fish plows up the mud in feeding with its 
spatula-like snout and then swims slowly backward through the water. 

" The remarkably developed gill-rakers of this species are very numerous and 
fine, in a double row on each gill-arch, and they are twice as long as the filaments of 
the gill. By their interlacing they form a strainer scarcely less efTective than the 



266 



SKVKNTII RETORT OF TIIK lOKl'.ST, KISII AND CAME COMMISSION. 



fringes of the baleen plates of the wliale, and probably allow the passage of the fine 
silt of the river bed when this is thrown into the w ater b\- the shovel of the fish, 
but arrest everything as large as the Cyclops. 1 have not found anything recorded 
as to the spawning habits of the Paddle-fish. The young have the jaws and palate 
filled with minute teeth, which disappear with age." 

Tlie Hesh of the Paddle-fish is frequentU' consitlered tough and shark-like, but 
inilixiiiiials of S or lO pounds are skinned, anil sold in some of the western markets 
freel}-, and are thought by some persons to be fairl}- good for the table. 



7. Common Sturgeon {Acipciiscr sturio Linnjeus). 

Acipenser stiirio Linn.-kus, .Syst. Nat., ud. .\, I, 237, 175.S; Jord.vx & Everm.\Ni\, Bull. 

47, U. S. Nat. Mus., I, 105, 1896. 
Acipenser oxyrhinciis DeK.-w, N. V. Fauna, Fishes, 346, pi. 58, fig. 189 (young), 1842. 

The range of the Common Sturgeon includes the .Atlantic Ocean southward to 
Africa and the West Indies. The northern limit on our east coast appears to be 
Cape Cod. In the Delaware River the fish has rarely ascended as far as Port Jervis. 




COM.MON STURi'.KoN. 



Dr. Mitcliill was the first to call attention to tlie similarity between the American 
Sharp-nosed Sturgeon and the siurio of Europe. The fish attains a length of 12 
feet in America, and it is stated that European examples measuring 18 feet have 
been taken. 

The sturgeon ascends the large rivers from the sea in spring and early summer. 
It is very common in the lower part of the Delaware River, where it forms the 
object of an important fishery. This is the species concerning which so many 
stories have been related as to its leaping into boats and injuring the occupants. 

The mouth of the sturgeon is furnished with a very protractile roundish tube 
having powerful muscles and intended for withdrawing from the mud the various 
small shellfish and crustaceans on which the animal subsists. Th.e mouth is 
surrounded also with numerous tentacles, with tactile properties, which are utilized 
in procuring food. 

The reproductive habits of the sturgeon and the embryology of the species 
have been made the subject of an exhaustive study by the late Prof. John A. Ryder 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF XEW YORK. 



267 



of the University of Pennsylvania, wliose monograph forms a part of the Bulletin of 
the U. S. Fish Commission for 1888. The eggs have been fertilized and developed 
artiticially by Seth Green and others many years ago, and in some parts of Europe 
the hatching of the species has been carried on successfully. The U. S. Fish 
Commission has also recently taken up the culture botli of the marine and the 
lake sturgeon, and these valuable fish may soon be rearetl on an extensive scale. 

The utilization of the flesh, the slcin and air-bladder .md the eggs of the stur- 
geon is so \\ell known as to recpiire little more than passing mention in this place. 
The smoking of the flesh and the manufacture of caviare from the eggs are very 
important industries along our eastern coast. 

The sturgeons are easily taken in gill nets and pounds, but the great strength of 
the fish frequently entails considerable loss of apparatus. 

The Common Sturgeon appears every spring in Gravesend Bay, and sometimes 
in the fall. It is hardy in captivity. A female 8 feet long was brought from the 
mouth of the Delaware River, May 20, 1897, to the New York Aquarium. It 
seemed to take no food till December i, when it began to feed freely on opened 
hard clams. 



LAKE STURC.EON. 




8. Lake Sturgeon (Acipi-nsc-r riibicundus LeSueur). 

Acipenser rubianidi/s DeKay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 344, pi. 58, fig. 191, 1842 ; Jordan 
& EvERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., I, 106, 1896. 

This is known as the Lake Sturgeon, Ohio River Sturgeon, Rock Sturgeon, 
Bony Sturgeon, Red Sturgeon and Ruddy Sturgeon. It inhabits the Mississippi 
and Ohio Rivers and the Great Lakes, and is abundant in the Alleghany. F"rom 
the lakes it ascends the streams in spring for the purpose of spawning. Dr. 
Richardson states that the northern limit of the sturgeon in North America is 
about the 55th parallel of latitude. 

The Lake Sturgeon is smaller than the common marine sturgeon, the average 
adult being less than 5 feet in length. The average weight of 14,000 mature 
sturgeon taken at Sandusky, O., was about 50 pounds. It frequently reaches a 
length of 6 feet. 

In the L,akes the species, according to observations of James W. Milner, inhabits 



268 SKVKXTII KKI'ORr OF TllK FOREST, FISH A\D GAME COMMISSION. 

comparatively shoal waters. The food of this sturgeon is made up chiefly of 
shellfish, including the genera Limiuea, Mclantho, Pliysa, Planorbis and Valvata. 
Eggs of fishes are also to be found in its stomach. 

In Lake Erie the species spawns in June, for which purpose it ascends the rivers 
in large schools till stopped by obstructions or insufficient depth of water. The 
breaching of the sturgeon is a well-known habit. Instances are recorded of serious 
injury to persons by sturgeons throwing themselves into boats. The sturgeon will 
occasionally take a baited hook, but its great strength and unwieldiness make it an 
undesirable fish for the angler. 

Large numbers of sturgeon have lieen destroyed by fishermen during the 
whitefish season simply on account of the annoyance caused by their presence in 
the nets. Now that the fiesh is esteemed for smoking, and the demand for caviare 
made from the eggs has largely increased, the wanton waste of this fish has been 
checked. iV troublesome parasite of the sturgeon is the lamprey eel {Pi'tro>nyzon 
concolor Kirt.) which attaches itself to the skin presumably for the purpose of 
feeding on the mucus which is exuded from the pores in great abundance, and 
remains fi.xed in one position so long as to penetrate to the flesh and produce a 
deep ulcerous sore. 

The Lake Sturgeon was formerly not very much prized, but is rapidly growing 
in favor. The flesh is eaten in the fresh condition or after boiling in vinegar or 
curing by smoking. Smoked sturgeon is now considered almost if not quite equal 
to smoked halibut, and the demand for it is increasing. From the eggs of the 
sturgeon a good grade of caviare is produced. " The caviare is made by pressing 
the ova through sieves, leaving the membranes of the ovaries remaining in the 
sieve, and the eggs fall through into a tub. This is continued until the eggs are 
entirely free from particles of membrane, when they are put into salt pickle and 
allowed to remain for some time." 

A large specimen now in the museum of Cornell University' is reported as being 
from Cayuga Lake. Seth Green informed Dr. Meek that sturgeons had occasionally 
been taken in that lake ; but so far as he knew, they had never been found in any 
other of the small lakes of Central New York. 

II. V. Kipp, of Montezuma, N. Y., wrote Dr. Meek as follows: "There have not 
been any sturgeons taken from Cayuga Lake since 1880, but quite a number before 
that date, and the largest known weighed 35 pounds." 



THE FOOD AN'I) GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 



269 



9. Short-nosed Sturgeon (Aiipciiscr brcvirostriiin LeSueur). 
Acipeuso- hrn'irostnim Jordan & Evermann, Hull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., I. 106, 1896. 

This little sturgeon has not been positively recognized anywhere except in the 
Delaware and in Gravesend Bay ; only a few specimens have been obtained in the 
river, and it is rare in Gravesend Bay. Prof. Ryder collected five examples at Dela- 
ware City in the spring of 1888, and has published a description of the species in 
the Bulletin of the U. S. Fish Commission for that year. 

The largest specimen known was 33 inches long; individuals 20 inches long are 
capable of reproducing the species. 

At the present time the Short-nosed Sturgeon probably never comes into the 
markets on account of its small size, which prevents its capture in the nets used for 
taking the common sturgeon. About 1817, however, it was brought in the shad 
season to Philadelphia and sold for 25c. to 75c. each. 

Spawning takes place in the Delaware during May. The eggs are deposited in 
depths of I to 5 fathoms on hard bottom in brackish or nearly fresh water. Prof. 





SH0RT-X(.1SEP SrURCEON. 

Ryder states that the eggs are extruded by rubbing the belly either against hard 
places on the river bed or against the rough bodies of the males, two or more of 
which accompany each female. The gravid roe fish are larger than the males. 
Prof. Ryder found the ova more or less adhesive immediately after their removal 
from the abdomen, but the sticky mucus covering is soluble in water. The period 
of hatching varies from four to six days. 

Up to the third month of its life the young sturgeon has minute conical teeth in 
its jaws, and at this age it is believed to subsist on " rhizopods, unicellular alga:, 
infusoria, minute larvae of insects and worms, crustaceans, etc." Still following the 
observations of Prof. Ryder, we learn that the sturgeon, when it has reached a 
length of I inch to ly'z inches, has minute teeth on the floor of the pharynx and 
feeds on small water fleas, and probably algx, worms, embryo fishes, insects and 
fresh-water copepods. Later in life the fish seeks larger crustaceans, and the adults 
occasionally contain fragments of mussel shells. The young fish have been caught 
under the ice in midwinter and are known to pass most of the year in fresh 
water. 



2"0 SEVKXl'lI RKI'OIM >>]■ IIIK KORKST, FISH AM) CAME COMMISSION'. 

A single small example of this sturgeon was brought to the New York Aquarium 
from Gravescnd Bay, May 13, 1896, and was alive and in good condition in 
November, i8g8. 

Dr. Smith records the occurrence of the species along with the common sturgeon 
at Woods Hole, Mass., but says it is less numerous. It is captured in the traps. 

10. Channel Cat (Ictalurus piDictatiis Rafinesque). 

Ictalurus punctatiis Jordan, Bull. Huffalo Soc. Nat. Hist., 95, 1876 ; Jordan & Gilbert, 
Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 108, 1883 ; Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. 
Mas., I, 134, 1896, 1)1. XXV, fig. 58, 1900. 

This species is variously styled the Channel Cat, White Cat, Silver Cat, Blue 
Cat and Spotted Cat. It is found over a vast extent of country, including the 




Mississippi and Ohio Valleys and the Great Lakes region. In the Eastern States 
it is absent from streams tributary to the Atlantic, but nccurs from Vermont south 
to Georgia, westward to Montana, antl southwestward to Me.xico. In Pennsylvania 
it is limited to the Ohio and its affluents. 

The adults of this species are bluish silvery, and the young are spotted with 
olive. It is one of the handsomest of the family of catfishes and an excellent 
food fish. The .Spotted Cat grows to a length of 3 feet and a weight of 25 pounds. 
It is extremely variable in color and in number of fin ra\-s, and has consequently 
been described under more than 20 different names. It is most abundant in large 
clear streams. The species is less harih' than most of the other catfishes. 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISIIF.S OF NEW YORK. 2'J I 

II. Lake Catfish (Auiciunis /<ni{stn's Walbaum). 

Ictalitnis iiigriians Jordan & fiiLRERT, Bull. i6, U. S. Nat. Mus., io8, 1883. 
Piinchhhis nigricans DeKay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, nSo, pi. 52, fig. 170, 1842. 
Anicitinis lacintris Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., I, 137, 1896. 

This is the Great Fork-tailed Cat, Florida Cat, Flannel-mouth Cat, and Great 
Blue Cat of various writers. It is also called Mud Cat in the St. John's River, Fla. 
The species is highly variable, as we would suppose from its wide distribution. 

In 1879, l^rof. Spencer F^. Baird received from Dr. Steedman of St. Louis, a 
Mississippi River Catfish weighing 150 pounds and measuring 5 feet in length. The 
writer described this fish. as anew species related to the Great Black Catfish of the 
Mississippi Valley, Aniciurus nigricans. At the present time it is somewhat 
doubtful whether or not this is merely an overgrown individual of the species under 
consideration and the matter must remain in doubt till smaller examples of 
Aniciurus pcnidcrosHS have been obtained. 




LAKE catfish. 

The Great Fork-tailed Cat is a native of the Ohio and Mississippi Valleys, and in 
the Southern States its range extends southward to Florida; northward it ranges 
to Ontario. 

This Catfish reaches a weight of 100 pounds or more, and, if it includes the giant 
form above referred to, we may place the maximum weight at more than 150 
pounds. Dr. Steedman was informed by an old fisherman that the heaviest one he 
had ever seen weighed 198 pounds, but it is doubtful that such large individuals are 
to be taken at the present time. In Lake Erie this species usually weighs from 5 
to 15 pounds, and the largest specimens reach 40 pounds. 

The habits of this fish are presumably about the same as those of other species 
of the family. On account of the great size of the fish it naturally prefers lakes and 
large rivers. It is a bottom feeder and will take almost any kind of bait. This 
species is wonderfully tenacious of life. It spawns in the spring and protects its 



2/2 SEV[:NTH report of the forest, 1-TSIl AN'D GAME COMMISSION. 

young, which follow the parent fish in great schools. Dr. Theodore Gill has 
reviewed in Forest and Stream the subject of the Catfishes' care of their young. 

This is a valued food species, though not a choice fish. In Lake Erie, according 
to a Review of the Fisheries of the Great Lakes, published by the U. S. Fish 
Commission, the Catfish rank next to Whitefish in number of pounds taken. 

In Lake Eric Catfish are taken chicfl\- by means of set lines, and the fishing is 
best during the months of June, July, and August. The method of fishing is thus 
described in the Review just referred to: "The apparatus consists of from 200 to 
400 hooks attached by short lines to a main line, which is from 5 to 27 fathoms long, 
according to place in which set, and is held in place by poles or stakes pushed into 
the mud. The lines are usually set in the lake, but occasionally short ones are 
fished in the bayous and marshes. Catfish are taken with a bait of herring, Coregonus 
artcdi, or grasshoppers, and are mostly used in the families of the fishermen and 
their neighbors or sold to peddlers. * * * The size of the Catfish ranges from 
5 to 25 pounds, averaging 8 or 10 pounds." In some parts of Lake Erie the set line 
fishery for Catfish begins April 15. Some of these lines have as many as 2,000 hooks. 
The pound nets also take a good many Catfish in the spring and fall. In Toledo 
these fish bring 4>< cents a pound. Erie receives its supply of Catfish from fisher- 
men who operate in the lake from Erie to Elk Creek with set lines during the 
summer months. DeKay had the species from Buffalo, where he saw specimens 
weighing from 25 to 30 pounds, and heard of individvials weighing 80 pounds. He 
states that it is usually captured by the spear. 

12. Yellow Cat {Ameiiinis iialalis LeSueur). 

PimeloJus cuprciis nF.KAv. X. V. Fauna, Fishes, 187, 1842 (Name only). 
Amciiinis natalis Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., I, 139, 1896, 

The Yellow Cat, or Chubby Cat, is found from the Great Lakes to Virginia and 
Te.xas. It has many varieties, three of which are mentioned by Prof. Cope as 
occurring in Pennsylvania, two of them in the Ohio River and its tributaries and the 
third in Lake Erie. The species is not credited to the region east of the Alle- 
ghanies. Dr. Meek saw only a single specimen from Cayuga Lake. 

The length of the Yellow Cat sometimes reaches 2 feet, but averages much less. 

Nothing special is recorded about the habits of this species. It is most abundant 
in sluggish streams. 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 



273 



13. Long-jawed Catfish [Ann'iiinis vn/gnris Thompson). 

Amiiints dckayi ]!ean, Fishes Penna., 15, pi. 18, fig. 24, 1893. 

Ai/h'ii/ri/s vit/gan's Jordan it Evkkmanx, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., T, 140, 1S96. 

Tlic Long-jawed Catfish is found in tlic Great Lakes region and westward to 
Manitoba. It is believed to be very nearly related to the common catfish, 
A. nebulosiis, but its projecting lower jaw will serve to distinguish it. This 
character, however, we know by experience is not so satisfactory as it might be. 

The species reaches the length of 18 inches and the weight of 4 pounds. It is 
occasionally taken in the Ohio River, but is more abundant in Lake Erie. Jordan 
& Evermann state its range to be from Vermont to Minnesota and Illinois, chiefly 
northward. The L^^. S. National Museum has it from Manitoba. Dr. Meek found 
a single specimen which was caught near Ithaca among more than 100 of the 
common bullheads. It seems to be rare in that basin. Thompson, wlio described 
the fish, had specimens from Lake Champlain. The Long-jawed Catfish is similar 




LONG-JAWED CATFISH. 

in all respects except its projecting lower jaw to the common catfish, A. ncluilosus, 
and may be found identical with it. 

14. White Cat {Anieinrus cat us Linnaeus). 

Pimelodus atrariiis DeKay, N. Y. Fishes. 185, pi. 36, fig. 116, 1842. 

Amiurus albidus Jordan, Hull. 10, U. S. Nat. Mus. 84, 1877, figs. 15 & 16, 1877; Bean, 
Fishes Penna., 14, pi. 18, fig. 2t„ 1893. 

This is the White Cat or Channel Cat, in Philadelphia distinguished as the 
Schuylkill Cat. The Channel Cat is one of the most abundant of its family in the 
Potomac River. It is abundant in the Susquehanna and common in the Schuylkill. 
This species reaches a length of 2 feet and a weight of 5 pounds. It is extremely 
variable with age. Old examples have the mouth so much wider than it is in 
the young that they have been described as a distinct species. The Big-mouthed 
18 



?74 SEVICNTII REPORT OF THE FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION'. 

Cat of Cope is now considered to Ije the old form of the \Vliite Cat. The liabits of 
tliis species at^ree with tiiose of other species ah'eady mentioned. The name 
Channel Cat su<i;L;ests a favorite haunt of the fish. As a food it is higlily prized. 

Eugene Smith says this catfish occurs in all the larger streams subject to the 
tide in the vicinity of New York City. 

It is frecpiently caught on set lines with liver or killy bait and bites best at 
night. The flesh is much better flavoretl than that of . /. iii'lndosiis. 




WHITE CAT. 



15. Horned Pout (.lii/c-iiin/s iirl>itloxns LeSueur). 

I'innii'diis catiis DeK.ay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 182, pi. 37, fig. irp, 1842. 
.Iniiinin iichiilosiis IjE.an", Fishes Penna., 16, jil. 19, fig. 25, 1893. 

This is known as the Common Catfish, Bullhead, Horned Pout, and Minister. 

This species has a wider distribution than the Wliite Cat, its range including 
New England and extending southward to South Carolina, west to Wisconsin and 
southwest to Texas. It has also been transferred from the Schuylkill to the Sacra- 
mento and .San Joatpiin Ri\-ers, Cal., where it has multiplied so rapidly that it is now 
one of the most common fishes of those streams. This is the most abundant cat- 
fish in Lake Erie and its tributaries. The species reaches a maximum length of 18 
inches and a weight of 4 pounds, biit the average size of market specimens is much 
smaller. In the lower waters of the Susc|uehanna color varieties of this species are 
not uiieommon. One <if them appears to be the same as the Aininriis mariiioratus 
of Holbrook ; this supposed color variety is found also from Illinois to Florida. The 
lower Susquehanna has furnished also some singularly colored examples of this fish, 
distinguished by large areas of jet black with lemon and white. These freaks are 
among the most interesting and beautiful observed in this family of fishes. 

From Jordan's Manual of the Vertebrates I quote Thoreau's account of the 
li.diils of this species : 



THE FOOD AND GAMK FISIIKS OK NEW YORK. 



2/5 



The hcM-netl pmit arc "diill and blundering- fellows," fond of the mud, and g;ro\v- 
ing best in weedy ponds and livers without current. They stay near the bottom, 
moving slowly about with their barbels widely spread, watching for anything eat- 
able. They will take any kind of bait, from an angleworm to a piece of tin tomato 
can, without coc^Lietry, and they seldom fail to swallow the hook. They are very 
tenacious of life, " opening and shutting their mouths for half an hour after their 
heads have been cut off." They spawn in spring, and the old fishes leail the young 
in great schools near the shore, seemingly caring for them as a hen for her chickens. 

The species was obtained in Swan River at Patchogue, N. Y., August 12, 1898. 
Young were seined in Bronx River in August. Larger individuals were sent from 
Cananclaigua Lake and .Saranac Lake in November. Several albinos were obtained 
from the Hackensack Meadows, N. J., in August, 1897. In three months they 
grew from 3 inches to 6 inches in length. In captivity the fish feed freely on 
chopped hard clams and earthworms and, occasionally, liver. 




HORNED POUT. 

Tiie following notes are from Elugene Smith, in Proc. Linn. Soc. N. Y., 189", 
p . 11-12. 

Very variable in color, from blackish and olive to brown and yellowish above, 
becoming lighter below, and often clouded on the sides. Those from tidal or run- 
ning water are lighter colored than those from stagnant places or ponds. The 
largest specimen found by me in the near vicinity of New York measured 131^ 
inches in length and weighed i pound 2 ounces. 

At the end of the third year this fish is perhaps fully matured. The ripe eggs are 
of the size of large pin heads, and are of an orange color ; the very young fishes 
look like little black toad tadpoles. The spines are strongly developed at an early 
age. The old fish accompanies the brood for a certain time, always swimming 
around the swarm of young in order to keep them together. When alarmed the 
parent dashes off, followed by the whole swarm. 



276 SKVKXTII KKPOKT OK THE FOREST, ITSII AND GAME COMMISSION. 



16. Marbled Cat {Ainciurus iicbiilosus inarmoratits Holbrook). 

Amiiinis i/iannoratiis Jordan iV (lii.iiERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. f.Ius., 104, 1883. 
Ameiuriis hcIuiIosks maniwratus Jordan cS: Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., I, 141, 



Body moderately elongate, its deptli about one-fourth total length to caudal 
base ; slope of profile very steep ; jaws equal or subequal ; dorsal fin high, its spine 
more than one-half as long as head, and nearer to adipose fin than to tip of snout ; 
head long, three and onc-fourtli times in total length to caudal base; barbels long; 
anal rays 21; body much mottled with brown, greenish and whitish. Lowland 
streams and swamps from New York to Southern Indiana and Florida. The type of 
the inartnoratHS of Holbrook was from South Carolina. 




BLACK nULLHEAD. 



17. Black Bullhead ^AiiuiurKs luclas Rafinesque). 

Pimclodiis piillus DeKav, N. V. Fauna, Fishes, 184, ]il. 37, fig. 117, 1842. 
Amiiinis piillus I!ean, Fishes I'enna., 16, 1893. 

The l^lack Bullhead reaches the length of I foot. It is found in the Great Lakes 
region and in the Mississippi Valley, westward to Kansas and southward to Texas. 

This species was known to DcKay as the Brown Catfish. His specimens were 
taken from Lake Pleasant and Lake Janet, N. Y., and he states that it is also very 
common in many other lakes of Northern New York, where its principal use is to 
serve as bait for the lake trout. Dr. Jordan had it from the Genesee River. Dr. 
Evermann obtained a specimen in Mill Creek, at Sacket Harbor, N. Y., July 2, 1894, 
and doubtfully referred to this species a young individual collected in Sandy Creek, 
at North Hamlin, N. Y., August 20, 1894. 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 



i8. Stone Cat {Xof/in/s flavns Rafinesque). 

Noturus flavi/s ]ov.\i\ii iv: Ihlbert, Bull. i6, U. S. Nat. Mus. loo, 1883; Be.an, Fishes 
Penna., 18, 1893; Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., I, 144, 1896, pi. 
27, fig- 63, i9°o- 

The Stone Cat i.s found from Ontario, througliout the Great Lakes region, south 
to Virginia and Texas, west to Montana and Wyoming. It inhabits the larger 
streams. Dr. Evermann obtained two specimens at Nine Mile Point, in the Lake 
Ontario region, June 11, 1893. 

The .species has \'cry little value as food on account of its small size. It seldom 
exceeds 12 inches in length, but it is a very good bait for Black Bass. The Stone 
Cats are much dreaded b}' fishermen because of the painful wounds sometimes 
produced by their pectoral spines. There is a minute pore in the a.xil of the 
pectoral, which is the outlet of a noxious liquid secreted by a poison gland. When 
this poison is discharged into a wound, it causes an extremely painful sore. 




STONE CAT. 



19. Lake Carp (Carpiodcs thoiu/^soni Agassiz.) 

Carpiodei t/wwpsoii! jo-RDA-H, Bull. 12, U. S. Nat. Mus. 198, 1878; Jordan & Gilbert, 
Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 119, 1883. 

Abundant in the Great Lakes region. Found in Lake Champlain. 



20. Long-nosed Sucker (Catosfojiius catostovius Forster). 

Catostomus lorigirostris ]o'R.T>h.^,'S,\\\\. 12, U. S. Nat. Mus. 175, 1878; Jordan & Gil- 
bert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 126, 1883. 
Catostoiiius catostoiiius, Bean, Fishes Penna., 25, pi. 20, fig. 30, 1893. 

The Northern Sucker, Long-nosed Sucker, or Red-sided Sucker, as the above 
species is styled, occurs in the Great Lakes and northwest to Alaska in clear, cold 
waters. It is verv common in Lake Erie. It grows to a length of 2 feet and is 



2/8 



SEVEXI'll KKi'OKr 



rilE FOREST, FISH AND (;A.\1K COMMISSION. 



largest and most abundant northward, in Alaska reaching a weight of 5 pounds. As 
a food fish the Long-nosed Sucker is little esteemed ; but in cold countries the head 
and roe are usctl in making a palatable soup. 

The males in the breeding season, in spring, are profusely covered with tubercles 
on the head and fins and have a broad rosy band along the middle of the body. In 
the Yukon Ri\er, Alaska, Dr. Dall found the fish filled with spawn in April. The 
eggs are of moderate size and \'cll()w in color. Nelson has seen this species seined 
by Eskimo in brackish estuaries of streams flowing into Kotzebue Sound. \\'. J. 
Fisher has collecteil specimens on the jieninsula of Alaska. 

This was not founil in Cayuga Lake basin by Dr. Meek, but it occurs in the 
Adirondack region, ami Dr. Meek believes it is a member of the Cayuga Lake fauna. 
Dr. Evermann obtained fi\e specimens at Grenadier Island, N. Y., June 28, 1894. 

The small race found by I'^red Mather in the Adirondacks is the ordinary dwarf 
form characteristic of mountain regions. He discovered four individuals, only 4^ 




LONG-NOSED SUCKER. 

inches long, " but mature and breeding" in a little mountain brook emptying into 
Big Moose nearly north of tlie Big Moose Club House, b\- a bark shanty known as 
" Pancake Hall." The fish were spawning, and he discovered manj- eggs under the 
stones. Tlie females were brown with white on belly, the male with red stripe on 
the side. 

21. Common Sucker (C(itostoi/n<s cointiursoiiii Lacepede). 

Catostomus teres Bean, Fishes Penna., 25, 1893. 

Catosiomiis pallidits DeKav, N. Y. Fauna, Fislies, 200, pi. 2,1, fig. 104, 1842. 
Ca/£'J'/w////j- (•('WW(VJ6'//// Jordan & EvKRM.\NN, Bull. 47, IL S. Nat. Mus., I, 178, 1896, 
pi. 34, lig. 83, 1900. 

The Common Sucker is also known as the Pale Sucker, White Sucker, Gray 
Sucker, Brook Sucker, ami, among the Canadi.m P'rench, as carpc blanche. It is the 
commonest member of its genus in waters east of the Rock\- Mountains. It is 



THE FOOD AND (JAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 



279 



found from Canada to Florida and westward to {Montana. Covering such a wide 
range of territory, the species is naturally variable, and has been described over 
and over again by many authorities under a great variety of names. The male of 
this sucker in spring has a faint rosy stripe along the midtlle of the side. The 
young are brownish in color and somewhat mottled and have a dark median band 
or a series of large blotches. The adults are light olive varying to paler and some- 
times darker; sides silvery. 

The species reaches a length of 22 inches, and a weight of 5 pounds. It is a 
very common inhabitant of ponds and streams of the lowlands, and a small race 
occurs in certain cold mountain streams in the Adirondack region, where it is 
dwarfed in size and changed in color, but does not differ in essential characters. 
Dr. Rothrock also obtained a mountain race of this sucker in Twin Lakes, Col., at 
an elevation of 9,500 feet above the sea level. 

The Common Sucker is a very indifferent food fish in the estimation of most 




COMMON SUCKER. 

people, but, when taken from cold waters and in its best condition, its flesh is very 
palatable. It takes the hook readily when baited with common earth worms. 

Dr. Richardson says : 

" Its food consists chiefly of soft insects, but in one I found the fragments of a 
fresh-water shell. It is singularly tenacious of life, and may be frozen and thawed 
again without being killed." 

Dr. Meek found this species abundant throughout the entire Cayuga Lake basin, 
where it is known as the Common White Sucker. 

Dr. Evermann in his catalogues of the fishes of Lake Ontario, taken in 1894, 
mentions this sucker from the following localities: Stony Creek, Black River, Mud 
Creek, Cape Vincent, mouth Salmon River, Chaumont River, creek at Pultneyville, 
mouth Little Salmon Creek, Sandy Creek, Long Pond, Stony Island, Lakeview Hotel, 
7 miles northeast of Oswego, and Marsh Creek. In the St. Lawrence River basin he 
and Barton A. Bean obtained the young in Racket River, Norfolk, N. Y., July 18, 



280 SEVENTH REPORT OF THE FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. 

and in tlic St. Lawrence River, 3 miles below (^t^densburs^, July 17. In the Lake 
Cliamplain basin these two collectors secured young and half grown specimens in 
the Saranac River, at Plattsburg, July 28, 1894. 

The writer received specimens from Canandaigua Lake in November of 1896 and 
1897, and seined the young in Bronx River in August, 1897. The small mountain 
form was secured from Saranac Lake in November, 1897. It is conspicuous for its 
small size and its red color. The Canandaigua lake suckers, received in November, 
1896, throve in captivity till July, 1897, when the warm water killed them. 

Eugene Smith writes of this species : 

" Color brownish, olivaceous above, silvery below ; the young are much blotched 
and marked on sides and back. It is occasionally caught on the hook. Young 
ones, in captivity, though they always grub about, and though they take food 
offered them, do not thrive and gradually starve. They remain wild and take 
alarm easily and often leap out of their tank. This species enters slightly brackish 
water." 

22. Hog Sucker {Catostoiims in'i^ricaiis LeSueur). 

Catostomus ///gn'ca/is ]oRDAti & Gilbert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 130, 1883; Bean, 
Fishes Penna., 26, pi. 21, fig. 31, 1893; DeKav, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 202, 1842. 

The Stone Roller has a wide distribution and a remarkable v'ariety of common 
names. Among them are : Hammer Head, Stone Lugger, Stone Toter, Crawl-a- 
Bottom, Hog Molly, Hog Mullet. Mud Sucker, Hog Sucker, Banded Sucker, 
Large-scaled Sucker, and Black .Sucker. The name Shoemaker was formerly applied 
to this species in Lake Erie, perhaps on account of the resemblance of its color to 
that of shoemaker's pitch. 

Prof. Cope says that this species in Penns_\-lvania is most abundant in tributaries 
of the Ohio and in the Susquehanna, while in the Delaware it is uncommon. It 
ranges from Western New York to North Carolina and westward to Kansas. It is 
the most remarkable looking of all the suckers of New York, and may always easily 
be distinguished by the shape of its head. The species grows \'ery large, reaching a 
length of 2 feet. It delights in rapid streams of cold clear water. Its habit is to 
rest quietly on tlie bottom, where its color protects it from observation. It is 
sometimes fountl in small schools. The spawning season is in spring, and the young 
are abundant in small creeks, as well as in the rivers. The food consists of insect 
l.arv.ne and small shells, and it is specially fitted for securing its prey under stones in 
the rapids. As a food fish this sucker has little value. 



THE FOOD AND CAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 201 

23. Chub Sucker [Eriutyzou sncctta Laccpede). 

Lahco gihbcsiis DF-KAi', N. V. Fauna, Fishes, 194, pi. 32, fig. loi, 1842. 
Erimyzon sitcctta Bean, F'ishes Penna., 27, 1893 (part). 

The Chub Sucker here described is the southern form which was first made 
known by Lacepede from an individual received from Charleston, S. C. Jordan ancJ 
Evermann now give the tlistributinn of this form as e.x'teiiding from Virginia to 
Texas. It appears to reach a little farther northward if the references to DeKay 
are properly made. Wxs, Labco gibhosiis ^.nd csopus and the Catostonins tuherciilatus 
seem to indicate the southern Chub .Sucker. 

The species reaches the length of i foot. It has very little value as food, but the 




CHUB SUCKER. 

young furnish excellent food for the larger fishes and are very interesting for 
aquarium purposes. 

24. Chub Sucker {Er!iiiv::on sncctta ob/ongiis Mitchilll 

Lahco elcgans DeKav, X. V. Fauna, Fishes, 192, pi. 31, fig. 100, 1842. 
Erimyzon sncctta Jordan lV Gilbert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 133, 1883 ; Bean, 
Fishes Penna., 27, 1893 (part). 

This is known as the Chub Sucker, Sweet Sucker, Rounded Sucker, Creek Fish, 
and Mullet. It has a wide range, practically including all the waters of the United 
States east of the Rocky Mountains. 

The Chub Sucker grows to a length of about 1 foot. It is very tenacious of life 
and is a ready biter, but has little value for food. The young up to the length of 
several inches have a very distinct lateral band. They are often found in the shelter 
of water lilies and other aquatic plants close to brackish waters. 



282 SEVKNTII KKroKT OF THK l-OKKSr, IISII AMi CAMK COMMISSION". 

Dr. Evcnnann collected two specimens in Hlack Creek, tributary of Oswego River, 
at Scriba Corners. X. V.. July 17, i^94- Dr. Meek found it very common about 
Cayuga. and Montezuma, \. Y., but ditl not observe it near Ithaca. In the market 
of New York, according to DeKay, the Chub Sucker makes its appearance in Octo- 
ber, November and December. Specimens were seined in 15ron.x River in August, 
1897. 

A young example sent from near Princeton, X. J., by Prof. Ulric Dahlgren in 
September, 1897, showed the following voluntary change of color: When it arrived, 
it had the broad, longitudinal median band well developed and the vertical bands 
obsolete; but soon after it was placed in a tank it obscured the longitudinal band 
entirely and developed the vertical bands. 

The food of the Chub Sucker consists chieflv of minute crustaceans, insect larvcX 



antl aquatic plants. 




STRIPED SUCKER. 



25. Striped Sucker [Minytrciiia uic/nnops Rafinesque). 

Minxty.-ma mclaiiops Jordan. Bull. 12, U. S. Nat. iMus. 138, 1S78; Ee.^n, Fishes Penna., 
28, 1)1. 21, fig. 32, 1893. 

The Striped Sucker, also called Soft Sucker, Sand Sucker, and Hlack-nosed 
Sucker, is found in tlie Great Lakes and south to South Carolina and Texas. In 
Pennsylvania it is limited to Lake Erie and the Ohio Valley. In New York it is to 
be expected in Lake Ontario and its tributaries, and should also occur in Chautau- 
qua Lake. 

The Striped Sucker grows to a length of 18 inches. Old males have the head 
tuberculate in the breeding season in the spring. The species is very readily 
distinguisheil by the dark stripes along the sides produced by spots at the base of 
each scale. In the young of this sucker there is no lateral line but in adults it is 
almost entire. This sucker prefers clear, sluggish waters and grassy ponds. It 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW VORK. 253 

readily adapts itself to life in the aquarium. It feeds entirely on moUusks, insects 
and insect larva;. The species is not much esteemed as a food fish, though it is sold 
in large numbers. 

Miiiytrciiia iiulaitops is normally without a lateral line, but this feature is occa- 
sionally partially developed and has caused some confusion in assigning certain 
individuals to their proper genus; indeed, one author has described and figured the 
Striped Sucker as two s[)ecies, belonging to two different genera, having been misled 
by this undeveloped character. 

26. White-nosed Sucker Oloxostoina aiiisuruin Rafinesque). 

Moxostoina aiiisiiniiii Jukdan i.\; Gilbert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 141, 1883; Bean, 
Fishes Penna., 28, 1893 ; Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., I, 190, 



^'•"Jf?*???**-'-'.'' " 





white-nosed sucker. 



The White-nosed Sucker is found sparingly in the Oliio River and the Great 
Lakes region ; widely distributed, but nowhere abundant. Cuvier and Valenciennes 
received from Milbert a specimen sent from Lake Ontario, measuring about 2 feet. 
Dr. Jordan sa\-s this is very closely related to the common Red Horse, from which 
it can hardly be distinguished except by its fins. Dr. E\ ermann collected a single 
specimen at Fox Lsland, N. Y., June 29, 1894; he also obtained a specimen 12 inches 
long at Point Breeze, N. Y., August 21, 1894, which he refers to this species, though 
indicating some characters in which it differs from the normal form of the White- 
nosed Sucker. 



284 SliVKNTlI REPORT OK THE EOREST, ITSII AND GAME COMMISSION. 

27. Red Horse i Moxostoiua anrcolniu LcSiieiir). 

Catostoiniis aiirfolns Df.Kav, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 201, pi. 42 fig. 133, 1842. 
Moxostoma auitolum Jordan & Gilbert, Bull. 16, V . S. Nat. Mus., 140, 1883; Bean, 

Fishes Penna., 30, 1893; Jordan & Everman.v, Hull. 47, L". S. Nat. Mus., I, 192, 

1896. 

The Red Horse ha.s the additional names of Golden Red Horse, Golden Sucker, 
Mullet, Golden Mullet, and Lake Mullet. It inhabits the Great Lakes and the 
region northward, also the Ohio Valley. It is common in Lake Erie, but not in 
Ohio. 

This species grows to a length of 18 inches antl is one of the handsomest of the 
suckers. I'rof. Forbes records it from lakes of Northern Illinois, also abundantly in 
the central part of that State. 

Dr. Ex'ermann, in collecting fishes of the Lake Ontario region, secured it at the 
following localities: Lake Ontario, 4 miles off Nine Mile Point, N. Y., June 12, 1893; 
Lake Shore, 3 miles west of Oswego, Jul\- 17, 1894; mouth Salmon River, Jul\- 25, 
1894; Long Pond, Charlotte, N. Y., Aug. 17, 1894; Sandy Creek, North Hamlin, 
N. Y., August 20, 1894. 

Dr. Meek identified a single specimen of the so-called Common Red Horse of 
Cayuga Lake with Moxosloina iiiacrolcpidotuiii. and stated, on the authority of Mr. 
Kipp, that it is common at the northern end. Jordan & I-lvermann, however, do 
not extend the range of niacrolcpidotiim so far north, and it is probable that the 
common Moxostoma of Cayuga Lake is M. aitrcoluin. 

DeKay records the species as very common in Lake Erie. In August and Sep- 
tember he observed them to be full of worms. In his New York Fauna, Fishes, 
p. 198, he describes a sucker or mullet under the name Oneida Sucker. This he 
stated is common in Oneida Lake. The species is considered identical with Moxos- 
toma aurcolum. His description shows a very close agreement with that of aureolum. 

The food of the Red Horse consists chielly of mollusks and insects. It is not a 
choice food fish. 

Eugene .Smith records this form as occurring in the vicinity of New York City. 
Mention has already been made of the doubt concerning the northern limits of the 
range of tnacrolcpidotiim ; but for the sake of comparison the brief description of 
macrolcpidotitm published by Jordan & E\'ermann is gi\en herewith. 

Head moderate, rather stout, its length four and three-fifths in body; eye one 
and two-thirds in snout: dorsal fin with its free edge concave: scales usualh' with 
dusky shade at base : lower fins pale. .Streams about Chesapeake and Delaware 



THE FOOD AND GAME EISHES OF NEW YORK. 



285 



Bays and soutliward to North Carolina. It seems in some respects intermediate 
between J/, aurtolum and J/, crassilabrc ; we cannot at present identify it with 
either. 

28. Fallfish {Scuiotilits bullaris Rafinesque). 

SemotilKS hnllaiis Jordan' & tliLisKRi, Bull. :6, U. S. Nat. Mus., 222, 18S3 ; Bean, 

Fishes Penna., 50, [il. 24, fig. 41, 1893. 

Lfiicistiis iiitlJiis DeK.w, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 209, pi. t,t,, fig. 105, 1842, Lake 

Champlain. 

The Fallfisli or Dace is one of the largest of the minnow family in New York, 
reaching a length of iS inches, and it is one of the most beautiful species as well as 
game in its qualities. As a food fish, however, this is not greatly esteemed. It is 
extremely commmi in the Delaware River and its tributaries and moderately abun- 
dant in tue Susquehanna. The Fallfish is found from Quebec to Virginia. Mitchill 




had it from the Wallkill River and knew of its occurrence in the Hudson, near 
Albany. Rafinesque recorded it from the Fishkill and other tributaries of the Hud- 
son. DeKay knew it from Lake Champlain and from New York Harbor. Ever- 
mann and Bean collected it in Scioto Creek, at Coopersville, and in Saranac River, 
at Plattsburg, in July, 1894; also in Racket River, at Norfolk, and the St. Lawrence 
River, 3 miles below Ogdensburg, in the same month. 

In the Lake Ontario basin the U. S. Fish Commission parties found it at Sacket 
Harbor, Centerville, Watertown, Oswego, Webster, Charlotte, Belleville, Henderson 
Bay, Henderson Harbor, and Salt Brook, near Nine Mile Point. 

The Faimsh delights in rapid, rocky portions of large streams and in the deep 
channels. On being hooked it fights desperately for a short time, but its resistance 
is soon overcome. Thoreau describes it as a soft fish with a taste like brown paper 
salted, vet the bov fishermen will continue to covet and admire this handsome and 



286 SKVKXTII RKPORT OF THK KORKST, FISIf AND CAME COMMISSION. 

ubiquitous representative of the minnow family. A colored plate of the fish, natural 
size, appears in the Third Annual Report of the Commissioners of Fisheries, Game 
and Forest of tlic State of New York, iSyS, facing page 146. There is also a good 
account of the fish b\' A. N. Cheney on pages 244 and 245 of the same report. 

29. Horned Dace [Snuo/i/us alromacnlalus Mitchill). 

I.eucisdis aticiiuuiilatiii I)kKav, X. ^'. l''auna. Fishes, 210, iil. },2, fi^. 102, 1S42. 
Seiitotiliis atroiiMiiilaiiis Kkan, Fishes Pcnna., 51, i>S93 ; Joruax & Evermann, Bull. 
47, U. S. Nat. Mus., I, 222, 1896 ; pi. XF, rig. 100, 1900. 

The Common- Chub, Creek Club, smaller Fallfish or Horned Dace has a wider 
distribution than JJ. bulhiris, but it does not grow quite so large, seldom exceeding 
I foot in length. Its range extends from New England to Missouri, southward to 
Georgia and Alabama. It is extremely common and ascends the small streams. 




HOKXKD HACK. 

The U. -S. l'"ish Commission collectors in 1894 took numerous specimens at the 
following localities: Sacket's Harbor, July 2; Center\'ille, July 24; Watertown, 
July 5; Oswego, July 25; Webster, August 9; Charlotte, August 17; Belleville, 
July 12; Henderson Bay, July 4; Henderson Harbor, July 3; and Salt Brook, 1^ 
miles abo\-e Nine Mile Point, June 10 and 11, 1S93. 

Dr. Meek reported it as abundant throughout the Cayuga Lake basin. Large 
examples are found in Canandaigua Lake. One of them measured 14 inches in July. 
1897. The fish is killed !))■ warm water. The food in capti\'ity includes hai'd clams, 
earthworms, ami, occasionally, live killifish. 

A. N. Cheney refers to this species on page 245 of the Third iVnnual Report of 
the Commissioners of I'"isherics, Game and Forest of the State of New York. 

In Pennsylvania it is the commonest minnow in the Alleghany and Susquehanna 
basins and is sufficiently common in llic Delaware. According to Prof. Cope it 
reached 4 poumls in weight and is a fair food fish. 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 



iSj 



This species is more characteristic of the small streams ami clear ponds and it 
takes the hook very freely ; but its proper mission is to serve as bait for the larger 
and choicer fishes. 

30. Tench {Tinea tinea Linnaeus). 

Tinea viil^^aris Cuvier & Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss, XVI, 322, ])1. 484, 1842 ; 
Hel'kel & Kner, Siissw. Fische, 75, fig. 34, 1858. 

Tlie Tencli has been introduced into the United States. An individual taken in 
the Potomac River near W^ashington, D. C, has a grinding surface well developed 
on the pharyngeal teeth, a character concerning which no mention is made in the 
current descriptions. The Tench now extends throughout the fresh waters of 




r3m»""J"-''""V!«^_ 



Europe into those of Asia Minor. Its northern limit is said to be in Finland. It 
may or may not be native to England. The species prefers still waters in which 
aquatic plants abound. It is very tenacious of life and has been observed to live a 
whole day out of water. Its food consists of insects, larva.-, worms and vegetable 
substances. 

Spawning takes place in June and July. The eggs are small and adhesive. The 
rate of growth is rather rapid under favorable circumstances, the young having 
attained to a weight of i pound in their first year. Individuals oT the weight of 10 
or 1 1 pounds are recorded, and Salvianus mentioned a Tench of 20 pounds. As for 
the quality of its flesh opinions differ, some persons considering it unpalatable, while 
others regard it as delicious and wholesome. 



280 si:\i;.Nrii kki'oki' dk tiik i'okkst, fish axo game commissiox. 

31. Lake Minnow {ffj'bopsis stortriaiius Kirtlandi. 

Ccratichthys liiccns Jortian & Gilbert, Hull. 16, U. S. Nat. iMus., 213. 1S83. 
Lciiiisiiis itoreridiiiis Kirtl.\n'd, Host. |our. Nat. Hist., V, 30, ])1. 9, fig. 2, 1847. 

Kirtland found the Lake Minnow only in Lake Eric, where it was frequently 
taken with seines in fishintj for other species. The U. S. Fish Commission recently 
adiled it to the fauna of the Lake Ontario basin, three specimens having been 
collected in Long Pond, Charlotte, ^August 17, 1894. 

32. Horned Chub (//j'/w/.f/.f Xv7//«tX-/c«j-M Rafinesque.) 

Lfitcisiiis /lii^iiflatiis l)i:K.\v, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 214 (extra-limital), 1842. 
JJyhcpsis kciitiiikiciisis Heax, Fishes Penna., 49, pi. 24, fig. 40, 1893. 

Rafinesque states that the fish is known as Indian Chub, Redtail and Shiner. 
Other names in eastern localities are Nigger Chub, River Ciiub, Jerker, Horned Dace 
and Horny-head. 

The species ranges from Pennsylvania westward to Dakota and south to Ala- 
bama. \w Pennsylvania it is common in the Susquehanna and the Ohio basin, but 
absent from the Delaware. Dr. Meek collected a few specimens at Montezuma, N. Y., 
and found none in an)- of the other localities investigated. Eugene Smith refers to 
this species two specimens of fish from the Passaic River. The flesh of his fish 
appeared to be very soft. 

The Horned Chub abounds in large rivers and is rarely seen in small brooks. 
This minnow grows to a length of 10 inches and is good for food. As a bait for the 
Black Bass, because of its endurance on a hook, it cannot be excelled. 

33. Cut-lips {lixoi^lossniii inaxilli)igua LeSucur). 

Exoglossiim maxillingua Jordan & Gilbert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 160, 1883 ; Bean, 
Fishes Penna., 36, pi. 22, fig. 36, 1893 ; Jordan & Everma.nn, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. 
Mus., I, 327, 1896, pi. LIV, fig. 14a, 1900, head below. 

The Cut-lips may be readily distinguished by the three-lobed lower jaw, the 
dentary bones being closely united and the lower lip represented by a fleshy lobe on 
each side of the mandible. 

Tile Cut-lip is known as Chub, Butter Chub, Nigger Chub and Day Cliub. It is 
a very common species in the Susquehanna and its tributaries. Its range is not 
extensive, reaching onl\- from Western New \'ork to Virginia. In New ^'ork it 
occurs in Lake Ontaiio, the St. Lawrence, Lake Champlain, Cayuga Lake and the 



TIIK FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK 



289 



Hudson River. The U. S. F"ish Commission has it from the following New York 
localities in the Lake Ontario basin: Mouth Salmon River, Selkirk; Big Sandy 
Creek, Belleville ; Wart Creek, Buena Vista ; Little Stony Creek, Henderson Ba\- ; 
Big Stony Creek, Henderson Harbor; Spring Brook, Pulaski; IMack River, 
Huntingtonville. 

All of these were obtained in July, 1894. Evermann and Bean collected it also 
in the St. Lawrence, 3 miles below Ogdensburg, July 17. 1894, and Scioto Creek, 
Coopersville and Saranac Ri\-er, Plattsburg, Jul)- 19, 1894. 

Dr. Meek found it in small numbers in Six Mile Creek and Fall Creek, below the 
falls. It inhabits clear running water. 

The fish grows to the length of 6 inches and may be at once distinguished from 
all of the other minnows by its three-lobed lower jaw. It is believed that this 



^. 




*^, 



>^ 



T^*<^'' 



VirW^ 



GOLDFISH. 



singular structure of the mouth enables the fish to scrape mollusks from their hold 
on rocks, as its stomach usually contains small shellfish. It takes the hook readily. 



34. Goldfish (Carassiiis anratiis Linnceus). 

Cvpn'inis aiiratiis DeK.w, N. V. Fauna, Fishes, 190, 1842. 

Carassiiis auratiis Jordan & Gilbert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 253, 1883; Bean, 

Fishes Penna., 54, pi. 25, fig. 43, 1893. 
The common Goldfish or Silverfish is a native of Asia, whence it was introduced 
into Europe and from there into America, where it is now one of the commonest 
aquarium fishes and is extremely abundant in many of our streams. In Pennsyl- 
vania it abounds in the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers. 
19 



290 SKVF.NTII REPORT OF THE FOREST, FISH AND OAME COMMISSION'. 

DcKiiy mailc the followiiiLj remarks about the (ioldfish, or Golden Carp, as he 
styled it : 

" The (iolden Carp, or Goldfish, as it is more generally called, was introduced 
from China into Europe in the early part of the 17th century, and probably shortly 
after found its way to this country. They breed freely in ponds in this and the 
adjoining States. The}' are of no use as an article of food, but are kept in glass 
vases as an ornament to the parlor or drawing room. They are said to display an 
attachment to their owners and a limited obedience to their commands." 

The)- are introduced into lakes, pontls, fountains and reservoirs generally. .-\n 
imlivitliial was kept in a fountain at 42d Street and 5th Avenue, New York, by 
Patrick Walsh nine years and was then presented to the aquarium. 

At Cold Spring Harbor Hatchery, L. L, several varieties were hatched from the 
same lot of eggs. These included the normal form, the typical fan-tail, and one 
which was so deep bodied that it could scarceU' balance itself in swimming. 

The Goldfish in the New York Aquarium were never troubled by fungus parasites. 

" In man)- of our streams and ponds, the Goldfish has run wild, and hundreds of 
the olivaceous type will be secured to one of a red color. In the fauna of the 
moraine ponds and in quarry holes, the Goldfish stands first. It will breed in foul 
water where only Catfish and Dogfish (Umbra) can be found." liiigciic Sniitli. 

The Goldfish is e.Ktremely variable in color and form. It is usually orange, or 
mottled with black and orange, yet in some streams and even in pond culture, 
silver)- indivitluals are often more common than an)- of the mottled varieties. The 
species grows to the length of \2 inches. It spawns early in the spring and is 
subject to mail)- dangers and is attacked by man)- enemies. The fish, however, is 
e.vtremely hard)-, prolific, and tenacious of life. 

35. Carp \Cxprinus carpio Linn;T;us). 

Cyprinus aupio DkKav, X. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 188, 1842 ; Jordan & Gilbert, Bull. 16, 
U. S. Nat. Mus., 254, 1883 ; Bean, Fishes Penna,, 55, pi. i, colored, 1893. 

The Carp is a native of Asia and has been introilucctl into Europe and America 
as a food fish, cliiefl)- for pond culture. It thrives in all warm and temperate parts 
of the United States, and reaches its best condition in open waters. In Te.xas it has 
grown to a length of 23 inches in 1 i months after planting. The leather variety is 
most hardy for transportation. Mr. Hessel has taken the Carp in the Black and 
Caspian .Seas; salt water seems not to be objectionable to it, antl it will live in stag- 
nant [jools, though its flesh will be decidedl)- inferior in such waters. The Carp 



THE l-OOl) AND GAME FISHES OF :\E\V YORK. 



291 



liibernatcs in winter exccjjt in warm latitudes, takes no food and does not ""row ; its 
increase in size in temi)erate latitudes occurs only from May to y\ugust. 

The spawning season begins in May and continues in some localities till August. 
A Carp weighing 4 to 5 pounds, according to Mr. Hessel, yields from 400,000 to 
500,000 eggs ; the Scale Carp contains rather more than the other varieties. During 
the spawning the fish frequently rise to the surface, the female accompanied by two 
or three males. The female drops the eggs at intervals during a period of some 
days or weeks in shallow water on aquatic plants. The eggs adhere in lumps to 
plants, twigs and stones. The hatching period varies from 12 to 16 days. 

According to Hessel the average weight of a Carp at 3 years is from 3 to 3^ 
pounds; with abundance of food it will increase more rapidly in weight. The Carp 
continues to add to its circumference till its thirty-fifth year, and in the southern 
parts of Europe Mr. Hessel has seen individuals weighing 40 pounds and measuring 



*•»..,', ' ' ' ' ' ' ■ ' 1 ' I 1 1 1 I i 1 r 1 ( 1 I f I ,',', , 

' ' ' ' ' ' I < 1 1 I 1 1 n 1 1 1 n < < • < * I . . • . . 




""^5^^^ 



3^ feet in length and 2?:j^ feet in circumference. A carp weighing 67 pounds and 
with scales 2j/ inches in diameter was killed in the Danube in 1853. There is a 
record of a giant specimen of 90 pounds from Lake Zug, in Switzerland. Examples 
weighing 24 pounds have been caught recently in the Potomac River at Washington, 
D. C. 

The Carp lives principally on vegetable food, preferably the seeds of water plants 
such as the water lilies, wild rice and water oats. It will eat lettuce, cabbage 
soaked barley, wheat, rice, corn, insects and their larva;, worms and meats of various 
kinds. It can readily be caught with dough, grains of barley or wheat, worms, 
maggots, wasp larva; and sometimes with pieces of beef or fish. 

During the summer of 1897 two female Leather Carp died in captivity as a result, 
of retention of the eggs. 

Large individuals are found in Prospect Park Lake, Brooklyn, where the species 
was introduced. The food of the fish in captivity includes hard clams, earthworms, 



292 



SEVENTH REPORT OF THE I'OREST. EISII AM) (lAME TOM MISSION'. 



wlieat, corn, lettuce ami cabbai^e. Its growth is remarkable. A Leather Carp has 
fully doubled its weight in one year. 

Linn?eus says the Carp was introduced into England about the year 1600. 
DeKay places the first introduction into New York waters in the year i83i,and 
publishes a letter of Henry Robinson, Ncwburgh, Orange Co., who brought them 
from France, reared and bred them successfully in his ponds, and planted from one 
dozen to two dozen at a time in the Huilson during the four j-ears preceding his 
letter. Mr. Robinson stated that they increased greatly and were frequently taken 
by fishermen in their nets. 

36. Eel {^Aiigiiilld citrysypa Rafinesque). 

Angiiillii chrisypa R.vfinesque, Amer. Month. Mag., II, 120, Dec, 1817. 

Anguilla /e////irosf r/s DkK.w, ^. \'. Fauna, Fishes, 310, pi. 53, fig. 173, 1842; Bean, 

Fishes Penna., 95, pi. 30, fig. 58, 1893. 
Anguilla (hrysypa Jokd.-w & Everm.\n.\, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., I, 348 1896, pi. LV, 

fig- 143- i9°o- 




The Eel api)ears to ha\-c only one common name. It is one of the best known 
and most singular of our fishes, yet its breeding habits hax'e onl\- recently been 
observed. The species ascends the rivers of Eastern North America from the Gulf 
of St. Lawrence to Mexico, the former being the northern limit of the species on 
our coast. In the (3hiii and Mississippi \alleys it is extremely common and its 
range has been much extenilctl by the opening of canals and b_\- artificial introduc- 
tion. It has been transferred to the Pacific coast. 

The Eel Ikls been known to exceed a length of 4 feet. The average length of 
individuals, iun\e\er, is about 2 feet. The female is larger than the male, paler in 
col(M-, and is different in certain other ])articulars, which are mentioned in the 
descri[)tions of the species. 

This is a verj- important food fish. It is caught chiefly when descending the 
rivers in the fall. In KS69 about a ton of eels were caught in a single fish basket 



THK FOUl.) AND GAME FISHES OV MOW YORK. 2Q3 

above Harrisburi^. i\t tlie present time this method of capture is illegal. Both 
adults and \-oung eels ascend the streams in spring, the young coming in millions, 
but in the fall run small eels are seldom seen. Till a comparatively recent date it 
was not certainly known that the eels have eggs which are developed outside of the 
bod)'. E\en now the breeding habits are scarcely known, but it is supposed that 
spawning takes place late in the fall or during the winter near the mouths of rivers, 
on niudd)' bottoms. Dr. Jordan has expressed the belief that the eel sijmetimes 
breeds in fresh water, since he has found young eels less than an inch long in the 
headwaters of the Alabama River, about 500 miles from the sea. It is estimated 
that a large eel contains about 9,000,000 eggs. The eggs are very small, measuring 
about 80 to an inch, and can scarcely be seen by the naked eye. 

The difference of size in the sexes has already been referred to. According to one 
writer the males are much smaller than the females, rarely exceeding 15 or 16 inches 
in length. The question whether eels will breed in fresh water has an important 
bearing on their introduction intcj places from which they cannot reach the sea. 
The generally accepted belief is that, while the eels will grow large and fat, they 
will not reproduce under such circumstances. 

When the eels meet obstructions in streams they will leave the water and travel 
through wet grass or over moist rocks. They have not been able to surmount the 
Falls of Niagara. At the foot of this barrier hundreds of wagon loads of \'oung 
eels have been seen crawling over the rocks in their efforts to reach the upper 
waters. 

Dr. Mitchill heard of an eel which was caught in one of the south bays of Long 
Island that weighed iSyi pounds. He records the use of eelpots and the practice 
of bobbing, and also the winter fishing by spearing. Dr. Mitchill states distinctly 
th.it the o\aries of eels may be seen like those of other fish, but they are often mis- 
taken for masses of fat. Dr. DeKay states that he had examined the silver eel of 
the fishermen and was disposed to consider it only a variety of the common eel. 
He characterizes it as " silvery gray above, with clear, satiny white abdomen, sepa- 
rated from the color above by the lateral line." 

In captivity eels live many years. They delight to lie buried in the mud or sand 
with onl}' their heads out, ready for an\-thing edible to come within reach. Mussels 
and snails are picked out of the shells by them. (After Eugene Smith, Proc. Linn. 
Soc. N. Y. No. 9, p. 29, 1897.) 

The eel in captivity is particularly liable to attacks of fungus, which do not 
always yield to treatment with salt or brackish water; but the parasite can be over- 
come by placing the eel in a poorly lighted tank. 



294 



SFA'EXTII KKroRT OF TIIK I'OKKST, FISH AXI) GAMK COMMISSION. 



In Cayuga Lake. N. V., according to Dr. Meek, the eel is not common, but is 
occasionally taken at the end of tlie lake. 

W. H. Ballou makes the following remarks about the feeding habits: 
"They are among the most voracious and carnivorous fishes. They eat most 
inland fishes e.xcept the gar and the chub. The\- are particularly fond of game 
fishes, and show the delicate taste of a connoisseur in their selections from choice 
trout, bass, pickerel and shad. On their hunting excursions they overturn huge and 
small stones alike, working for hours if necessary, beneath which they find species of 
shrimp and crayfish, of which tliey are e.xceedingly iond. They are among the most 
powerful and rapid of swimmers. They attack the spawn of other fishes open- 
mouthed, and are even said to suck the eggs from an impaled female. They are 
owl-like in their habits, committing their depredations at night." 



37. Conger [Lcptoccphalns 



Linnaeus). 



Miirceim conifer LiNN.iiUS, Syst. Nat., ed. X, I, 245, 1758. 

Conger occidcntalis DeKav, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 314, \)\. 53, fig. 172, 1842, very poor. 
Leptocephaliis conger Goode, Fish it Fish. Ind. U. S., I, pi. 240, 1884; Jordan & Ever- 
MANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., I, 354, 1896, jil. VII, fig. 148, 1900. 




CONl.KR. 

The Conger Kel occurs on both coasts of the Atlantic, on our coast extending 
from Cape Cod to l^razil, but often coming into shallow bays. An e.xception is 
noted in Great Egg Harbor Bay, where the fish is not rare in summer. It is some- 
times caught in Gravesend Bay also in summer, and occasional Indixiiluals are cap- 
tured on hand lines off .Soutliampton, L. I., by men fishing for sea bass and scup. 
The fishermen dislike to handle the sjjecies on account of its pugnacity and strength ; 
it snaps viciously at everything near it when capturetl in our waters: yet. strangely 
enough, the writer has seen a hundred or more taken on trawl lines off the north 
coast of France, in a boat at one time, and not one gave evidence of ferocity. 

In capti\-it\- in the aquarium the sea eel suffers severely from fungus attacks, 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 295 

which arc not relieved by changing the fisli from salt water to fresh. Perhaps 
the salinity of the water in some localities is too low, and relief might be obtained 
by supplying sea water of normal ocean density. 

The young and larval form of the Conger is a curious, elongate, transparent, 
band-like creature with a minute head, a very small mouth and with the lateral line, 
belly, and anal fin dotted with black points. 

An individual nearly 3 feet long was captured with a hand line by A. P. Latto in 
the ocean, near Southampton, L. I., August 3, 1898, while fishing for sea bass and 
scup. 

In the Woods Hole region, according to Dr. Smith, " it comes in July and 
remains until fall ; very common for several years, but rather rare formerly. Fisher- 
men as a rule do not distinguish it from the common eel. A few arc taken in traps 
and with lines, but many large ones, weighing from 8 pounds upwards, are caught 
in lobster pots. A specimen in the collection weighs 10 pounds. One caught on a 
line at Falmouth, August 30, 1897, weighed 12 pounds. The smallest observed are 
15 to 20 inches long.'" 

Mitchill declared the flesh to be very dainty eating. DeKay said the flesh has a 
peculiar unsavory taste. He discovered that it is a vicious animal, snapping when 
captured at everything near it. In France the Conger Eel is among the cheapest and 
least esteemed of the food fishes. 

The observations of Dr. Otto Hermes, Director of the Berlin Aquarium, on the 
habits and the reproduction of the Conger Eel are of very great interest. Refer- 
ence is made to them by Goode in Fish and Fishery Industries of United States, 
I, p. 657, and two figures copied from drawings of Dr. Hermes are given in the text. 
The ovary of the Conger, says Dr. Hermes, is developed in captivity, and this is 
often the cause of the death of the eel. In a Conger which died in the Berlin 
Aquarium the ovaries protruded very extensively, and a specimen in the Frankfort 
Aquarium burst on account o.f the extraordinary development of the ovaries. The 
ovaries of this eel, which weighed 22 Jj pounds, themselves weighed 8 pounds, and 
the number of eggs was about 3,300,000. The want of a natural opening for the 
escape of the eggs was evidently in this case the cause of death. In the fall of 1879 
Dr. Hermes received a number of small sea eels taken in the vicinity of Havre. 
These eels ate greedily and grew rapidly. Only one was tardy in its development, 
so that it could easily be distinguished from the rest. This one died June 20, 1880, 
and was examined the same day. It proved to be a sexually mature male and 
served to clear up some very doubtful problems in the reproduction of the species, 
as well as its allv, the Common Eel. 



296 si:vi;ntii Ri;roKT oi-- the kori;st, fish and game commission. 

38. Moon-eye ^ffiodoii tirffisiis LcSueur). 

Hyodon tergisus Df.Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 265, pi. 41, fig, 130 ; Jordan & Gilbert, 

Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 260, 1883. 
Hiodon tcrgisiis Bkan, Fishes Penna., 57, pi. 25, fig. 44 (named :i/osoiJcs), 1893 ; Jordan 

& EvERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., I, 413, 1896, 1)1. LXVIII, fig. i8o, 1900. 

This .species is called Moon-eye, Toothed Herrint;-, and Silver Bass. It is found 
in Canaila, the (ireat Lakes region and the upper part of the Mississippi Valle_\-, 
being wvy common in large streams and lakes. It abt)unds in Lake Erie and the 
Ohio and is seined in large numbers. DeKay observed the fish in the AUegliany 
River, N. Y. He recorded it also from Buffalo and Barcelona, on Lake Erie, at 
which i)laces it is known as Moon-e\-e, Shiner and Lake Herring. He says it is very 
indifferent food. 




MOON-EYE. 



This species grows to a length of I foot and, like the other, though a beauti- 
ful fish and possessed of excellent game qualities, its flesh is full of small bones. 
It is a good fish for the aquarium ; it will take a minnow or the artificial fly ver\- 
readily, and the utmost skill is required in its capture. Its food consists of insects, 
small fishes and crustaceans. 

Dr. Richarilson describes this fish as a member of the minnow family, which , 
he says, is known to the Canadians under the name La Quesche. The fish is 
de-scribed as having the back brilliant green, sides and abdomen with a silvery 
luster. The specimens which were taken in the Richelieu, where it falls into the 
St. Lawrence, were about 9 or 10 inches long. 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 2g7 

39. Northern Moon-eye (Hiodoii trlosoidis Rafinesque). 

Hyodflii alosoides Jordan & Gilbert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Afiis., 259, 1883. 

Hiodon alosoiJcs Bean, Fishes Penna., 57, 1893 (not figure) ; Jordan & Evf.rmann, 

Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 1, 413, 1S96. 
HyoJon dodalis DeKav, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, pi. 51, fig. 164, not description, 1842. 

The Northern Moon-eye is found from the Oliio River throughout the Great 
Lakes region to the Saskatchewan. It is very common in Manitoba and other 
parts of British America. In Penn.sylvania it is limited to the western region. 

DeKay must have had tlie Northern Moon-eye for study, though his description 
seems to apply to another species. The figure of his ilyodon clodalis represents a 
fish with a short dorsal fin, quite unlike his account in the text. 

The Northern Moon-eye is very readily distinguished from the other species of 
the genus by its short dorsal fin, which contains only nine rays, and by its carinated 
belly. It grows to the length of i foot. The flesh is not greatly esteemed as a 
rule, but the fish is beautiful and has excellent game qualities. 

Richardson says the fish inhabits lakes which communicate with the Saskatche- 
wan, in the 53d and 54th parallels of latitude, but does not approach nearer to 
Hudson's Bay than Lake Winnipeg. This we know to be a mistake. He says 
further that it is taken during the summer months only, and in small numbers, in 
gill nets set for other fish. It bites eagerly at an artificial fly or worm. Its flesh is 
white, resembling that of the perch in flavor, and excelling it in richness. 

40. Gizzard Shad [Dorosoina ccpcdianiuii LeSueur). 

Dorosoma cepcdiaiiKDi Jordan lS; CIilbert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 271, 1883; Goode, 
Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S., I, 610, pi. 217 A, 1884; Bean, Fishes Penna,, 63, 1893; 
Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., I, 416, 1896, pi. LXIX, fig. 183, 
1900. 

The Mud Shad, also known as Gizzard Shad, Winter Shad, Stink Shad, White- 
eyed Shad, Hickory Shad, Hairy Back and Thread Herring, is found in brackish 
waters along the coast from New York southward to Mexico, ascending streams and 
frequently becoming landlocked in ponds. A variety of this fish is also common in 
the Ohio and Mississippi valleys, whence it has spread through canals into Lakes 
Erie and Michigan. 

Cuvier and Valenciennes had the species from New York, whence it was sent by 
Milbert. DeKay mentions it only as an extralimital fish, but in his time the fish 
fauna of Lake Erie was very little known. 



298 .SEVKNTIl RKI'UKT UK TlIK I'UKKSl', MSIl ANU (lAMK COMMISSION'. 



Tliis fish grows to a IciiLjtli of 15 inches and a weight of 2 pounds. It spawns in 
.summer, and its food consists of algie, conferxa-, dcsmids and diatoms. With its 
food it takes large quantities of mud, from which it separates tlie organic substances 
after swaUowing. This is a beautiful species, somewhat resembling the shad in gen- 
eral appearance, and has been very successfully kept in the aquarium where its 
bright colors and graceful movements make it attractive : but its flesh is soft, taste- 
less and seklom eaten when any better can be obtained. In most regions fishermen 
consider it <i great nuisance and throw away their entire catch. Negroes eat the 
mud shad from tributaries of the Chesapeake, and in Florida the fish has been util- 
ized to some extent in making guano. The name (iiz/.ard Shad alludes to the form 
of the stomach, which is very much like that of a hen. 




inZZAKI) SHAD. 

41. Sea Herring yClupca liarcngus Linn^EusX 

Clupea harciii^iis Jordan i\: (;ii,i;KKr, Hull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 265, 1883: Bean, 19th 

Re])t. N. Y. Conini. ]''ish., separate, 42, pi. .WH', f.g. 32, 1S90. 
Cliipca fIo)ii^ata Dr.K.w, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 250, 1842. 

The Sea Herring is the most important food fish of the world and it is 
undoubtedly the most abundant of all the fishes. Its food consists of small 
invertebrates, chiefly copepods and the larv;i; of worms and mollusks. It forms 
the most important food of manj' of our valuable food fishes, including the cod, 
haddock, halibut, blucfish, and a great many others. Herring spawn at two seasons, 
spring and fall, the first spawning continuing from April to June and the second 
season between July and December. The eggs are adhesive and are deposited on the 
■bottom, where they adhere to seaweeds and other objects of support. The egg is 
about '/lo inch in diameter. The hatching period lasts from 12 to 40 days, accord- 
ing to the temperature of the water. Sea Herrings were artificial!}- hatched as early 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW VORR. 



299 



as 1878, both in Germany and the United States. It has been estimated that tlie 
annual yield of Sea Herring is 3,000,000,000 fish, principally taken in Norway. 

The Herring occurs on our east coast from Labrador to New York. When 
found as far south as New York, it usually occurs in midwinter. Capt. Thurber 
obtained it in Great South Bay in the fall. 

The young of the Sea Herring is well known as the whitebait of England and 
the United States, though in the latter country the young of other species are 
sometimes mingled with those of the Sea Herring. 

Many young, translucent fish of the genus Clupca, a little under 2 inches long, 
are seen in spring in the shad fykes and pounds of Gravesend Bay. They are called 
"shad bait," because they are said to be taken frequently from shad stomachs. 

Large Sea Herring, according to W. L DeNyse, are rare in Gravesend Bay. 
Only about 100 or 200 are obtained there during fall and winter. 




SEA HERRING. 

Young examples, from 43^ to 6 inches long were obtained in the bay November 
23, 1897. 

l\\ the vicinity of Woods Hole, Mass., according to Dr. Smith, "schools of large 
herring in spawning condition appear about October 15, and remain till very cold 
weather sets in, their departure corresponding with that of the cod. By January 
young herring I4 inch long are taken in surface tow nets; by May i, they are i to 
1 14: inches long, and by August i, 23^ to 3 inches. Fish 3 to 5 inches long, called 
" Sperling " are found from September i to end of the season and are used for 
mackerel bait. About June I, there is a large run of herring, smaller than those in 
the fall run. This lasts two weeks, during which time the traps are full of them. 
No use is made of the early run, but in fall they are caught in gill nets for food 
and bait." 



300 SEVK.NTII RKI'ORT OF THE FOKKST, KISII AND GAME COMMISSION. 

42. Skipjack ^Pcvio/olnfs chrysochloris Rafinesque). 

Pomo/olms (/iiysoc/i/on's ]0KT).\'s & Ever.mann, Hull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., I, 425, 1896, 

pi. LXX, fig. 187, 1900. 
Clupca chrysochloris Jord.-vn & Gilbert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 266, 1883 ; Bean, 

PM.shes Penna., 59, 1893. 

The Golden Shad, or Skipjack, is a common inhabitant of the Ohio and Mississippi 
vallcy.s and the Gulf of Mexico. In Pennsylvania this fish is confined to the Ohio 
and its tributaries. It prefers large streams. It has made its way into the Great 
Lakes through canals. The presence of the Golden Shad in the salt water of the 
Gulf of Mexico was discovered by Silas Stearns near Pensacola, Fla. This species 
grows to a length of 18 inches. 

Unlike most other species of Clupca, this one, according to observations of Prof. 




S. A. Forbes of Illinois, is predaceous, feeding on other fishes. Two examples 
examined by him had eaten gizzard shad, Dorosouia, and another one individuals of 
some unidentified fish. The young of the Golden Shad, 2I4 inches long, had con- 
sumed nothing but terrestrial insects, including flies, small spiders, etc. 

Apparently it never ascends small streams. In the lower part of the Mississippi 
valley it migrates into salt water. In tlie ui)per part of this valley it is a permanent 
resident in fresh water. The name Skijjjack is given in allusion to its habit of skip- 
ping along the surface of the water when in pursuit of its prey. In the water its 
movements arc graceful and active. 

The hsh is full of small bones and its flesh is reputed to be tasteless and without 
value as footl ; but Kirtland says it is esteemed in Ohio as a good pan fish. 





% 



/ 




'^/i<;. 





CL 



< 
T 

if) 

> 

cr 




THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OK NEW YORK. 



43. Hickory Shad d'omolol'iis incdiocris Mitchill). 

Clupca mcdiocris Jordan & Cilbekt, lUill. .6, U. S. Nat. Mus., 266, 1S83 ; Bean, 19th 

Rt-pt. N. V. Conim. Fish., separate, 43, pi. XXV, fig. 34, 1S90. 
Alosa mattowaca DeKay, N. V. Fauna, Fishes, 260, pL 40, fig. 127, 1842. 

This species is referred to by Dr. Mitchill as the Staten Island Herring, Clupca 
mediocrh, \vhich, he says, gro^vs very large for a herring, being frequently 18 inches 
long and almost as big as a small shad. It has '• six or eight brown spots, longi- 
tudinally, belou- the lateral line," as reported by an inhabitant of that part of the 
bay of NcNY York which borders on Staten Island. Mitchill also has the same 
species under the name of Long Island Herring, Clupca mattoi.^aca. This, he 
says, is also called the Autumnal or Fall Herring, as well as Shad Herring and 
Fall Shad. Mitchill recognized it as probably the full grown fish of the C. mcdi- 
ocris. He was not able to distinguish it from that species. The length of the 




HICKORY SHAD. 

Green Back, according to this writer, frequently reaches 2 feet, with a depth of 
from 4^ to 6 inches. At the time of this writing the fish was taken in October 
and November in seines on the surf side of the beaches fronting Long Island. 
Dr. DeKay mentions examples in the market early in Jul)-, which are brought from 
the Connecticut River, where they are called Weesick. He states that the specific 
name bestowed on it by ^litchill was derived from the aboriginal name of the island, 
Mattowaca or Mattowax. In Great South Bay the name Green Back is well estab- 
lished for the species. A single example was seined, September 29, at Fire Island. 
October I, 1890, considerable numbers of large Green Backs were caught in a trap 
at Islip. The Hickory Shad is caught in Gravesend Bay during September. October 
and November, but is less plentiful than it was formerly. Large Hickory Shad 
weighing from V. pound to 2^ pounds were shipped from waters near New York 
Citv to Fulton Market October 30. 1896. Each of them had iu its stomach from 



302 SEVENTH REPORT OK THE EUREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. 

15 to 20 Sand Launce from 3^ to 5 inches long. A few specimens were seined at 
Blue Point Cove, Great South Bay, and at Howell's Point, in the same bay, August 
31, 1898. 

At Woods Hole, Mass., it comes in the spring, but is most numerous late in Sep- 
tember and till trap fishing ends. In October, 1895, a trap near Tarpaulin Cove 
caught 3,500 at one lift. These brought 10 cents each in New York. In spring and 
summer the fish has no market value, but it sells in the fall. 

The name Hickory Shad is applied to this species from the Chesapeake Bay 
region southward, and in some Georgia rivers this is abbreviated to Hicks. In the 
Potomac and some other rivers tributary to the Chesapeake, the name Tailor Shad 
is applied to this fish. The Hickory Shad occurs from Maine to Florida, entering 
rivers except in New England. The species is much less valuable than the shad, for 
which it is often sold by dealers. Nothing definite is known about its habits, but 




P.RANCH HERRING. 



Marshall McDonald was of the opinion that it spawns in the rivers at a little earlier 
period than the shad, which it always precedes in the ascent of the streams in spring. 



44. Branch Herring {Pomolohns pscudoliaroigus Wilson). 

C/iipea vcnni/is ]ov.'D\^ & CiiLUERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 267, 1883; Bean, Fish 

& Fish. Ind. U. S., I, 588 ; Fishes Penna., 58, pi. 25, fig. 45, 1S93. 
A/osa tyrauinii Df.Kav, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 258, \)\. 13, fig. 38, 1842. 

The Branch Herring, River Herring, or Alewifc has a variety of additional names. 
It is the Ellwife or Ellwhop of Connecticut River, the Spring Herring of New York, 
the Big-eyed and Wall-eyed Herring of Albemarle, the Sawbelly of Maine, the Gray- 
back of Mas.sachusetts, the Gaspereau of Canada, Little Shad of certain localities, and 
the Cayuga Lake Shad of New York. The recordctl range of the Branch Herring is 
from the Neuse River, N. C, to the Miramichi River, in New Brunswick, ascending 



THE FOOD AND (lAME FTSIIES OF NEW YORK. 3^3 

streams to their headwaters for the purpose of spawning. Tlie fish is found abun- 
dant in Cayuga and Seneca Lakes, N. Y., where it has probably made its way natu- 
rally. In Lake Ontario, since the introduction there of the shad, the Alewife has 
become so plentiful as to cause great difficulty to fishermen, and its periodical mor- 
tality is a serious menace to the health of the people living in the vicinity. The 
belief is that the fish were unintentionally introduced with the shad. In Pennsyl- 
vania the Branch Alewife occurs in the Delaware and the .Susquehanna in great 
numbers in early spring. 

The U. S. Fish Commission, in 1894, obtained specimens at the following locali- 
ties of the Lake Ontario region: Cape Vincent, June 21 ; Grenadier Island, June 
27 ; mouth Salem River, Selkirk, July 25 ; Long Pond, Charlotte, N. Y., August 17 ; 
Lake Shore, mouth Long Pond, August 17; Sandy Creek, North Hamlin, August 20. 
Not a native of Cayuga Lake, but often found there in large numbers. Known 
to the fishermen as Sawbelly. It is thought to have been introduced into the lakes 
of Central New York by the State Fish Commission. Large numbers are often 
found dead on the shores of Seneca and Cayuga Lakes. (After Meek.) DeKay 
says it appears in New York waters with the shad about the first of April, but never 
in sufficient numbers to form a separate fishery. 

The Branch Herring, or Alewife, is the first of the alewives to appear in Graves- 
end Bay; it comes with the shad. It endures captivity well. November 30, 1897, 
individuals above 7 inches in length were caught in Gravesend Bay, which were prob- 
ably the young of the year. 

The Alewife seldom exceeds i foot in length, the average market examples 
being about 10 inches. The weight of the largest is about yi pound, and the 
average weight is about 5 or 6 ounces. 

The fish enter the rivers earlier than the shad and return to the sea, or to estu- 
aries adjacent to the river mouths at some undetermined date in the fall. During 
the summer months enormous schools of full-grown, but sexually immature ale- 
wives migrate along the coast, feeding on small crustaceans and themselves furnish- 
ing food for bluefish, sharks, porpoises and other predaceous animals ; but none of 
them are known to enter fresh water. In the rivers the alewives appear to eat noth- 
ing, but they can be captured with small artificial flies of various colors. Their eggs 
are somewhat adhesive and number from 60,000 to 100,000 to the individual. They 
are deposited in shoal water; spawning begins when the river water is at 55° to 60° 
F. The period of hatching is not definitely known, but is believed to exceed four 
days. 

During the spring and summer the young grow to a length of 2 and 3 inches; 



304 SEVKXriI KKPORT OF THE KOREST, EISII AND GAME COMMISSION". 

after their departure from the streams nothing is known of their progress, but it is 
believed tliat the_\- rcacli maturity in four years. We have no means of learning the 
age of the immature fish seen in great schools off shore, and thus far the rate of 
growth is unsettled. 

The Branch Alewife. though full of small bones, is a very valuable food fish and 
is consumed in the fresh condition as well as dry salted, pickled and smoked. The 
fry can be reared in ponds by placing adults in the waters to be stocked a little 
before their spawning season; and they furnish excellent food for bass, rockfish, 
trout, salmon and other choice fishes. The proper utilization of the immense over- 
supply of these fish in Lake Ontario has become a serious economic ])roblem. 

.\lewives are caught in seines, gillnets, traps and pounds, and they are often taken 
by anglers with artificial flies. 




GLUT HERRING — MALE. 



45. Glut Herring 1 Pouiolobus cyanonotpn Storer). 

Pomolflhiis (vstivalis Goode & Bean, I'.ull. Essex Inst., 24, 1.879 : Jordan & Evermann, 

Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., I, 246, 1896. 
Cltipea ces/ivalis ] OKI). \y cS: (iiLi'.Ki-tr, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 267, 1883. 

Mitchill's name, (cstivalis, cannot be applied with any certainty to the "Glut 
Herring;" it appears to be a synonym of nicdiocris and mattozcirca of the same 
author. Its relation to iiiattonHica was long since pointed out by Dr. Gill. The 
description herewith appended appears to make this conclusion inevitable. 
(Mitchill, Trans. Lit. & Phil. .Soc. N. V. p. 456, pi- 5. fig- ^^ '-'^'4-) 

Summer Herring of New York. {C/iipca (cstivd/is.) Has a row of spots to the 
number of seven or eight, extending in the direction of the lateral line. Tail 
forked. Iklly serrate ; and, in most respects, resembling the C. hali\\ herein already 
described. Rays: Br. 6; P. 15: V. 9; D. 16; A. 19; C. 19. 

The figure shows a row of eight spots on the side extending as far back as the 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 



505 



end of the dorsal fin on the level of the eye. This resembles the hickory shad, 
Poiiiolobus incdiocris, more than anything else, and it probably was that species. 

The Glut Herring arrives later than the Branch Herring and does not ascend 
streams far above salt water. It appears to spawn only in the larger streams or 
their tidal tributaries and at a temperature of 70° to 75° ; while the Branch Herring 
spawns in water as low as 55° to 60° and ascends far up the streams and their small 
fresli-water branches. 

In Gravcsend Ray the Glut Herring is called Shad Herring. November 30, 1S97, 
two young fish of the year, measuring about 7 inches in length, were obtained from 
that bay. In Great South Bay the species is called Herring. A single example 
was secured there on September 29, 1890. In 1898 it was not collected either in 
Great South Bay or Mecox, in both of which the Branch Herring was abundant. 

At Provincetown the species is known as the Blueback and Kiouk. According to 




GLUT HERRING — FEMALE. 

Storer, it appears there in small numbers in May, but is not abundant before June 
10, and it remains on the coast for a short time only. The Alewife, or Branch 
Herring, arrives on the coast of Massachusetts. about the end of March, and is taken 
till the middle or last of May. 



46. Shad (Alosa sapidissiuia Wilson). 

Cltipea sapidiuiiiia Bea.v, Fishes Penna., 60, pi, 2, 1S93 ; Cheney, 4th Ann. Rep. N. Y. 

Com. Fish, colored pi. facing p. 8, 1899. 
Alosa praestabilis DeKav, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 255, pi. 15, fig. 41, 1S42, 
Alosa sapidissima Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., I, 427, 1896, pi. 

LXXII, fig. 191, 1900. 

The Shad is known also as the White Shad, and in the Colonial days it was 
known to the negroes on the lower Potomac River as Whitefish. It is found natu- 
rally along the Atlantic Coast of North America from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to 
20 



306 SEVENTH KKl'OKT OK THE FOREST, KISII AXli CAME COMMISSION". 

the Gulf <if Mexico, ascending streams at various dates from January in its extreme 
southern limit to June in far northern waters. In the Delaware and Susquehanna it 
makes its api)earance in April and departs after spawning; but remains, sometimes, 
as late as July i8, and many die. 

The oriijinal distribution of the shad has been widely extended by artificial 
introduction. In certain rivers flowint:^ into the Gulf of Mexico the fish has been 
cstablishetl b\- planting. In the Ohio River a fishery has been created by the same 
method ; and in the Sacramento River, Gal., the shad was successfully introduced, 
and it has colonized not only this ri\-er but all suitable rivers from San Francisco to 
Southern Alaska. It is now one of the common market species in San Francisco and 
other west coast cities. 

In the Susquehanna the shad was formerly one of the most important native food 
fishes, but its range is now very limited on account of obstruction by dams. Twenty 
years ago the P'ish Commission reported that a few shad are taken yearly above the 
Clark's Ferry dam, none, or at least a few dozen, above the Shamokin dam, none 
above the Nanticoke dam and none above Williamsport. The largest run of shad 
that has been known to pass the Columbia dam was that of 1867. "In 1871 the 
finest Columbia shad were hawked in the market at Ilarrisburg, 30 miles from the 
fisheries, at considerable less than a dollar a pair. The catch at Columbia exceeded 
100,000." 

The obstructions in the Delaware have been almost entirely overcome. In 1891 
shad were caught higher up the Delaware than for many years, and spawned in the 
upper reaches of the river beyond the New York State line. In 1891 the Delaware, 
for the first time since 1823, was restored to its normal condition by means of the 
fishway at Lackawaxen ; and, according to Col. Gay, it is at present the best shad 
river in the country. The number of eggs obtained for artificial propagation in 
the lower river was unusually small, but the number naturally deposited in the 
upper waters was greater than for many years. Col. Gay observed a large number 
of big female shad at Gloucester City, but a great scarcity of males. This neces- 
sitated a long run up the river before spawning. The cau.se is believed to be the 
lower temperature of the water during May, the lack of rain cutting off the usual 
supply of warm surface water and the tributaries of the upper river bringing down 
nothing but cold s])ring water, keei)ing the temperature of the ri\-er below the 
normal for spawning purposes. ConsequenlK' the shad ascended more than 300 
miles. Mr. l''ord noticetl that e\'er_\- pool in the upper river was full of shad, and he 
saw them i)la_\-ing in the water by hundreds. Mr. Van Gordon saw them above 
Port Jervis, and they were observed as far up as Deposit, N. Y. 



thl; food and gamp: fishes of new vork. 



307 



The sliatl reaches a length of 2 feet. It is asserted tliat 50 years ago shad 
weighing from 8 to 13 jiounds were not uncommon in the Susquehanna. It is said 
that even hirger individuals were taken. In California the shad reaches a larger 
size than it does in the east, specimens weighing from 13 to 14 pounds being often 
seen in the markets. The average weight of the females is 4 or 5 pounds. The 
male is much smaller. 

The young shad remain in the rivers till the approach of cold weather, when 
the)' descenil to the sea, and they are usually seen no inore till they return as 
mature fish ready for reproduction. They are known to feed on small flies, crusta- 
ceans and insect larv.e. They have been fed with fresh-water copepods and kept 
ali\'e in this wa\' till the}- obtained a length of more than I inch. In the Carp ponds 
at Washington, Ur. Hessel succeeded in rearing shad on the Daplinia and Cyclops to 




a length of 3 or 4 inches, and one time, when they had access surreptitiously 
to an abundant supply of young carp, well-fed individuals reached a length of 6 
inches by the first of November. Shad have been kept at the central station of the 
U. S. Fish Commission over the winter, but at the age of one year, doubtless for 
lack of sufficient food, the largest was less than 4 inches long. At this age they 
were seen to capture smaller shad of the season of 1891, which were an inch or more 
in length. The Commissioner of Fisheries detected young shad also in the act of 
eating young California salmon ; and on one occasion found an undigested minnow, 
2 or 3 inches long, in the stomach of a large shad, and they have been caught with 
minnows for bait. The principal growth 9f the shad takes place at sea, and when 
the species enters the fresh waters for the purpose of spawning it ceases to feed, 
but will sometimes take the artificial fly and live minnows. The migratory habit 
of the shad has already been referred to. The spawning habits have been thus 
described by Marshall McDonald : 

The favorite spawning grounds are on sandy flats bordering streams and on sand 



308 SKVKNTH RKI'ORT Op^ THE KOREST, EISII AM) (lA.ME COMMISSION. 

bars. Tlic fish appear to associate in pairs, usiuilly between sundown and ii p. M. 
When in the act of spawning they swim close togetlier near the surface, their dorsal 
fins projecting above the water and their movements producing a sound which the 
fishermen call "washing." The eggs are expressed by the female while in rapid 
motion ; the male following close and ejecting his milt at the same time. Such of 
the eggs as come in contact with the milt are impregnatcti, but the greater portion 
of them are carried away by the current or destroyed by spawn-eating fishes. After 
impregnation the egg sinks to the bottom and under favorable conditions develops 
in from three to eight days. According to Seth Green, the embryo shad swim as 
soon as they break the shell and make their way to the middle of the stream where 
they arc comparatively safe from predaceous fishes. A mature female shad of 4 or 
5 pounds contains about 25,000 eggs on the average, but as many as 60,000 have 
been obtained from a 6-pound fish, and I00,000 were obtained from a single female 
in the Potomac. There is great mortality among tlie shad after spawning. Dead 
fish of both sexes are frequently seen floating in the water in the late months of 
summer. 

iMitchill states that the shad visits New York annualh" about the end of March 
or beginning of April ; that it ascends toward the sources of the Hudson ; that it 
usually weighs 4 or 5 pounds, but sometimes as much as 12 pounds. DeKay says a 
large variety, supposed to be old fish, and weighing from 10 to 12 pounds, were 
frequently taken in the Hudson, under the name of Yellow Backs. The shad, in his 
time, ascended the river 150 miles to spawn, and descended in the latter part of May. 
The in trotl action of gill nets, he writes, has caused a scarcity of the fish and will 
dri\'e them from the river before many years. 

Nets set off shore in Gravesend Bay in the fall frequently enclose large quantities 
of 3'oung shad, sometimes a ton and a half at one time, during their migration 
seaward, but they are at once liberated. The fish are usually about 6 to 8 inches 
long. October 17, 1895, sixty or seventy were caught in John B. DeNyse's pound, 
among them a male 11 inches long and 2-^4 inches deep, and a female 12 inches 
long and j; inches tleep. October 31, 1895, a male I3'_. inches long and 2l< inches 
tleep, aiul a female 1^/4 inches long and 3^ inches deep were obtained in the 
same pound. Apparently the shad do not all remain at sea after their first migra- 
tion till they are se.xually mature. In the Potomac River young shad 8 to 9 inches 
long occasionally enter in the spring with the atlults in large numbers. Mr. 
DeNyse informs me that in the first spring run of small shad in Gravesend Bay 
fully 90^ are males. 



THE FOOD AM) GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 



309 



47. Menhaden {Ih-cvoortiir tyraniins Latrobe). 

Clupea inciihadcii Miichill, Trans. Lit. tv Phil. .S<jr. N. V., I, 453, pi. V, fig. 7, 1815, 

New York. 
Alosa incnhadni DeKav, N. Y. Fauna, Fislies, 259, pi. 21, fig. 60, 1842. 
Brevoortia txraiiiiKs IJeax, 19th Kept. N. Y. Comm. Fish, scjjarate, 44, [il. XXV, fig. 35, 

iSgo ; J(_)RDAN & EvERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mas., I, 433, 1896, i)l. LXXIII, 

fig. 195, 1900. 

The Meiiliai-lcii has received more tlian 30 common names, among which the one 
here emplo}'ed is the best known and most suitable. In New Jersey it is frequently 
called Bunker or Moss Bunker, and in some other localities it is the Bony Fish. 
It is also called Bugfish, because of a crustacean parasite which is found in the 
mouth. 




MENHADEN. 

The Menhaden reaches a length of 15 inches or more ; its average size is about I 
foot. It is found along our east coast from Maine to Florida, swimming in immense 
schools and fluctuating greatly in abundance. In certain localities its movements 
are affected chiefly by temperature. 

The use of the Menhaden as a source of oil and a material for fertilizers is so 
well known as scarcely to need mention here. As an edible fish it is not generally 
esteemed ; in most localities it is seldom eaten, though in some places it is consid- 
ered a good food fish. Since the mackerel is becoming scarce, Menliaden are often 
salted in barrels as a substitute for that fish. 

The Menhaden appears in Dr. Mitchill's Fishes of New York as the Bony Fish, 
Hardhead or Marshbanker. The aboriginal name Menhaden, and the one most 
suitable for the species, is mentioned by this writer. Dr. DeKa}', in his New York 
Fauna, introduced the name Mossbunker as well as the Indian names Panhagen and 
Menhaden. Me notes also the names Skippang and Bunker as in use at the east 
end of the island. For a survey of the 30 or more additional appellations of this 



3IO SKVEXTII KErORT OK THK FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. 

well-known fish, the reader is referred t(.) the complete history of the American 
Menhaden by Dr. G. Brown Goode. 

The Menhaden comes into Gravesend Bay in May and through the summer. 
Occasional individuals are seen there in the fall as late as November. The fish 
can be kept alive in winter in capli\ity, [)rovided the water temperature does not 
fall below 50" I'". It makes its appearance on the sliores of Long Island about the 
beginning of June, sometimes in May, and remains till the cold season sets in. A 
few specimens were taken September 22 in Blue Point Cove in 1884, and October i. 
1890, many thousands were caught in a tra^) at Islip ; these were large and very fat 
fish. The use of the Menhaden as a bait fish is too well known to need special 
mention. In " chumming " for Bluefish near Fire Island Inlet this is the favorite 
bait. In 189S the young were obtained at Duncan's Creek, Howell's Point and 
Nichols's Point August 29. Adults were sent from Islip by \V. F. Clock August 18. 

In the \icinity of Woods Hole, Mass., according to Dr. Smith, Menhaden arrive 
in schools about May 20, but scattered fish are taken in March with Alewives ; they 
remain till December i, sometimes till December 20, but are most abundant in June. 
When the schools first arri\-e, the reproducti\'e organs of many of the fish are in an 
advanced stage of development, but after July i, none with large ovaries are found. 
Late in fall the fish again have well-developed rocs. The smaller fish are about an 
inch long ; these are found in little schools about the shores and wharves as early as 
July 15. The young are abundant throughout summer and fall. The average 
length of adults is 13 or 14 inches; one fish 18 inches long was caught at Woods 
Hole in 1876. 

48. Striped Anchovy {Sto/cp/itvus hiun^'ini Gmelin). 

Clupca vittata Mitchill, Trans. Lit. & Pliil. Soc. N. Y., I, 456, 1815; DeKay N. Y. 

Fauna, Fishes, 254, 1842. 
Stolephonis hrowiiii ]n\<\-,\^ ^ Gilhkrt, Hull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 273, 1883; Bean, 

Bull. U. S. F. C, VII, 149, 1S88; Kept. N. Y. Comm. Fish., 279, 1890. 

The species occurs from Cape Cod southward to Brazil and tlic West Indies. 

This is the Satin Striped Herring of Alitchill's F'ishes of New York, p. 456. B3' 
some of the fishermen in Great South Bay it is supposed to be the Whitebait, and is 
so called. The Anchovy was extremely abundant in the bay in September, 1884. 
I found it at the mouth of Swan Creek, in Blue Point Cove, near the Life Saving 
Station, at Oak Island and at Fire Island. Specimens were seen as late as October 7. 

This .Anchov)- forms a \ery important part of the food of the young weakfish 
and bluefish in Great South Bay. It is present in very large numbers and could be 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 3II 

utilized as a food species. Tlie largest examples of this fish which we have seen 
were taken in Great Egg Harbor Bay in August; individuals measuring ^yi inches 
in length were taken in the surf by hundreds, and weakfish were feeding on them 
ravenously. In two hauls of a 20-fathom seine we took here 54 weakfish. 

This species was not common in Great South liiy during the summer of 1898. 
It was found at Blue Point Cove August 18, and young were obtained at Nichols's 
Point September I. 

Dr. Smith records it as unusually abundant at Woods Hole, occasionally rather 
uncommon. Found from August to late in fall. More numerous than any other 
Anchovy. 

49. Anchovy {Stoh-fy/ionis jjiitcliil/i Cnv. & Val.). 

StolcpJwnis mitiliilli J(_)ri)an iV' Gilbert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 248; Bean, Bull. 
U. .S. F. C, VII, 149, 18S8 ; Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 1,446, 
1896. 

Cape Cod to Texas on sandy shores; the most abundant of the New York 
species. It enters Gravesend Bay in May and remains till October. Locally known 
as Anchovy and Whitebait. An excellent food fish and very important as the food 
of larger fishes. 

It is very generally distributed in bays along the south shore of Long Island, 
having been found abundant in Scallop Pond, Peconic Bay, in Mecox Bay, and 
almost everywhere in Great South Bay from July to September, 1898. A specimen 
taken at Fire Island has a lernaean parasite attached to it. At Woods Hole, Mass., 
Dr. Smith reports it abundant, associated with J)', brozvnii. 

50. Round Whitefish [Cort\i:;o)ii(s quadrilatcralis Richardson). 

Coregoiiiis (jttadrilatcralis Jordan & (jilkert, tiull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 29S, 1S83 ; 
Bean, Fishes Penna., 66, pi. 26, fig. 47, 1893. 

This species is called Frost Fish in the Adirondacks ; other names are Meno- 
minee Whitefish, Roundfish, .Shad-waiter, Pilot-fish and Chivey, the last term applied 
to the fish in Maine. 

The Round Whitefish is found in lakes of New England, sometimes running into 
streams, the Adirondack region of New York, the Great Lakes and northward into 
British America and Alaska. Its distribution has been extended by transplanting 
on account of its great value as food for the Lake Trout and other large fish of the 
Salmon family. It seldom exceeds a length of 12 inches and a weight of i pound. 
Like some other species of Whitefish it spawns in shallow parts of lakes or ascends 



3'- SEVENTH KEl'OKT OV THE FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. 

their small tributaries for that purpose. The food consists of small shells and crus- 
taceans. The species frequents deep waters, where it falls an easy prey to the 
voracious Lake Trout. 

The Round Whitefish is excellent for the table. Its capture with hook and line 
is difificult because of its very small mouth and its habit of retiring into deep water. 
In the Great Lakes it does not constitute an important element of the fishery, 
but in northern regions it is one of the most useful and highly prized of the food 
fishes. 

This small Wiiitefish is one of the characteristic species of the Adirondack 
Lakes. James Annin, Jr., sent specimens for identification from Hoel Pond and 
Big Clear Lake, in Franklin Count}-, X. V., and from the third lake of the Fulton 




ROUND WHITEFISH. 



Chain. He states that the fish spawns in the little inlets or on the sand beaches. 
It never appears until about the time the water begins to chill and freeze about the 
edges. On the Fulton Chain of lakes the spawning season of 1895 was practically 
closed about November 20. The Frostfish, according to Mr. Annin, is " a delicious 
morsel." 

An example taken at Sanarac Lake, November 23, 1897, showed the following 
colors: Purplish gray ; lower parts whitish ; pectorals, ventrals and anal vermilion; 
eye pale golden; head especially behind the eyes with iridescent gold and purple 
tints; caudal, chiefly vermilion in life. The fish is a male with ripe milt. There are 
numerous small tubercles on the scales of the sides above and below the lateral 
line. 



TUli lUUU AND GAMK FISHES OF NEW VORK. 



51. Common Whitefish {Corri^v/N/s clupcifoDiiis MitchiH). 

CorciTo/ii/s al/iiis Kirtlanh, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist., Ill, 477, pi. XXVIII, fig. 3, 1841 ; 

DeK.av, N. V. Fauna, Fishes, 247, ]il. 76, iig, 240, 1842. 
Cori'givii/s clupdfonnis Jorjian iv: Gili;ert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 299, 1883 ; Bean, 

Fishes Penna., 67, color \)\. 3, 1893 ; Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. 

Mus., I, 465, 1S96, ]il. LXX\'I. fig. 202, 1900. 

The name W'hitcfish is thoroughly identified with thi.s species and is seldom 
varied except by means of the prefi.x " common " or " lake." A well-marked variety 
in Otsego Lake, N. Y., has long been known as the Otsego Bass. 

The Common W'hitefish occurs in the Great Lakes and northward into British 
America; its northern limit is not definitely known. In Alaska, where the species 
was formerly supposed to e.KJst, it is replaced by a similar, but well-marked form, 




COMMOX WHITF.FISH. 

the Corcgoiins richardsoiii of Gunther. The variety known as Otsego Bass is found 
in Otsego Lake. If we may judge from the yield of the fisheries, Lake Michigan 
has more Whitefish than any of the other lakes; Superior ranks second ; Erie third; 
Huron fourth ; and Ontario is sadly in the rear. 

The largest individual on record was taken at Whitefish Point, Lake Superior ; 
it weighed 23 pounds. A 17-pound specimen was caught at Vermilion, in Lake 
Erie, in 1876. The size varies greatly with locality, ranging in general all the way 
from 1.^4 pounds to 14 pounds. In Lake Erie, in 1S85, the average weight was 
between 2 and 3 pounds. The length of adults will average 20 inches. 

There is a movement of the Whitefish in many lakes from the deep water early 
in the summer into the shoal water near the shore. In the mid-summer, however, 
the usual retreat of this species is the deep and cold parts of the lakes which they 
inhabit. Again as the spawning season approaches, in October, the Whitefish come 
toward the shore to deposit their eggs. It is said that they do not spawn till the 



314 SEVENTH REPORT OF THE FOREST, FISH .WD CAME COMMISSION. 

water has reached a temperature of about 40'. After spawning they again retire to 
deep water where they remain during the winter. Mr. Mihier observed that the 
shoreward migration varies with locality and is influenced also by depth of water 
and temperature. In Lake F.rie, for e.xample, which has a high summer tempera- 
ture, there is no shoreward migration in summer. It is noted also that the White- 
fish moves along the shore and in some cases it ascends rivers for the purpose of 
spawning. It is believed also that when the feeding grounds of the Whitefish are 
polluted by mud the fish temporarily seek other localities. There appears to be a 
spring and summer migration likewise from lake to lake. Spawning takes jjlace 
during October, November and December on shoals or occasionally in rivers. The 
female is larger than the male. According to the observations of George Clarke, 
the two sexes in the act of spawning frequently throw themselves together above 
the surface, emitting the spawn or milt with the vents close together. Spawning 
operations are most active in the evening, are continued at night and the eggs are 
deposited in lots of several hundred at a time. The number of eggs in a fish of 7^ 
pounds was 66,606; the average number being nearly 10,000 for each pound of the 
female's weight. The period of incubation depends on the temperature. The 
usual time of distribution of the young is in March and April. The very young 
are described as swimming near the surface and not in schools. They are very 
active and soon seek deep water to escape from their enemies. Their food consists 
chiefly of small crustaceans. The adults subsist on the same food with the addition 
of small mollusks. 

The only means of determining the rate of growth of the Whitefish is by arti- 
ficial rearing. Samuel Wilmot had young fish which were 5 inches long at the age 
of four months. The growth under natural conditions must be even greater than 
this. Mr. Wilmot has seen Whitefish measuring 7 inches in December in his ponds. 

The eggs of the Whitefish are destroyed in immense numbers by the Lake Her- 
ring, Argyrosoiinis artcdi. The water lizard, Mcnobranclius, also consumes vast 
numbers of the eggs. The young Whitefish are eaten e.xtcnsively by the Pikeperch, 
Black Bass, Pike, Pickerel and fresh-water Ling. The Lake Trout also feed on the 
Whitefish. A leech parasitic of the Whitefish proves very troublesome to that 
species, and the scales are liable to a peculiar roughness which has been observed 
late in November or during the spawning season. There is also a lernean which 
fastens itself to the gills and other parts of the Whitefish. 

The excellence of the flesh of the Whitefish is so well known as scarcely to 
require mention. Its commercial value is great. In Lake I'.rie in 1SS5, according 
to statistics collected by the U. S. Fish Comm.ission, 3,500,000 pounds of Whitefish 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 315 

were caught, more tlian 2,000,000 of this amount b\' fishermen from Eric alone. In 
that year Erie County had 310 persons employed in the fisheries. The capital 
invested in the business was nearly $250,000. The wholesale value of the fish 
products was upward of §400,000. The Whitefish was the third species in relative 
importance, Hlue Pike ranking first, anil the Lake Herring second. In Erie County 
Whitefish are caught chief!}' in Jul}-, August and November, anil the bulk of them 
are taken in gill nets. Pound nets are also em[jloyed in the capture of Whitefish. 

Carl Miller of New York and Henry Brown of New Haven are credited with the 
first attempt to propagate the Whitefish artificially. Their experiments were made 
in Lake Saltonstall, near the city of New Haven. The result of the experiments, 
which were repeated in 1858, is not known. In 1868, Seth Green and Samuel 
Wilmnt began a series of experiments in the same direction, and in 1869, N. W. 
Clark of Clarkson, Mich., took up the same work. In 1870 a half million eggs were 
placed in hatching boxes by Mr. Clark. In 1872, through the aid of the U. S. Fish 
Commission, Mr. Clark's hatching house was doubled in capacity, and a million 
eggs were taken from Lake Michigan. Since that time both the National and 
State Governments have made the Whitefish the object of their most extensive 
operations. 

Dr. Meek saw no specimens of Whitefish from Cayuga Lake, but he thinks it is 
an inhabitant. The U. S. P'ish Commission obtained a specimen at Cape Vincent, 
N. Y., November 17, 1891. 

A young individual was received from Wilson, Niagara County, N. Y., caught in 
a gill net in Lake Ontario and sent by James Annin, Jr. 

A male and female were received through James Annin, Jr., from Upper Saranac 
Lake, November 16, 1895. Both fish were nearly spent. A male from Chazy Lake 
arrived through the same source November 22, 1895. It was doubtfully called 
" Blackfin Whitefish." At that time the fish had left the spawning beds and were 
in deep water. June 17, 1896, a female 197^ inches long was shipped by Mr. Annin 
from Canandaigiia Lake. Its stomach is pear-shaped with walls more than '4 inch 
thick ; it contained numerous small shells of several genera, not yet identified. 

The species is reported by fishermen to be very abundant in that lake, and to be 
destructive to eggs of other fish. They say it comes in great numbers into shallow 
water near the shore in early summer when the water is roily, and can be caught on 
set lines. Mr. Annin saw men baiting their set lines with small minnows on Canan- 
daigua Lake, and, when the lines were taken up in the morning, the Whitefish was 
found on the hooks. It is said that one so taken weighed 6 pounds. Supt. O. H. 
Daniels, of the New Hampshire Fish Commission, forwarded a specimen from Lake 
Winnestjuam, at Laconia, ig^g inches long, weighing 46 ounces, and he wrote that 



,il6 SKVKNTII RErOKT OF TIIK FOREST, FISH AND ClAMF COMMISSION. 

iiicJivicluals weighing ~]A pounds had recently been taken. The species was called 
" Hlucfin " and Whitefish. 

The fish-eating habit of the Whitefish was full}- verified in the aquarium on 
examples obtained in Canandaigua Lake in November, 1896, by Mr. Annin. Know- 
ing that tlie species usually subsists on small mollusks and crustaceans, efforts were 
made to pro\-idc the fish with /'//]'.ur and Caiiiiiianis : but tiiis became difficult in 
winter, and an experiment was made with small Killifish ( Fundnliis hctcroclitiis and 
majalis], which pro\'ed satisfactor\- during the cold months. In summer, however, 
it was found necessary to return to the use of (laiimianis. The W'liitcfish at first 
took the Killifisli without any eagerness, but they soon learned to chase their prey 
and take it much as trout do. 




SMELT. 



52. Smelt of New York Lakes yArj^ynisonnts osmcriformis H. Vi. Smith). 

Corc^onus osmcrijonnis SMrrn, Bull. IJ. S. F. C, XIV, j. ].l. i, fig. 2, 1895, Lakes Seneca 

and Skaneateles, New York. 
Coregonus hoyi'&v.Kii, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V, 658, 1883 ; Ooode, Fish and Fish. Ind. 

U. S., I, pi. 197 B, 1884; not Coregonus hoyi <^A\\. 
Argyrosoiiuis osiiicriformis Jordan & Evermann, P.ull. 47, U. .S. Xat. Mus., I, 468, 1896. 

Body elongate, moderately compressed, slender; head less compressed than 
body, its greatest width ecpialing one-half of distance from tip of lower jaw to nape ; 
the lower jaw projecting considerably even when the r.-.outh is closed ; mouth large, 
the maxillary reaching to the vertical through the anterior margin of the pupil ; 
preorbital bone long and slender, more than one-third as long as the head ; supra- 
orbital as long as the eye, four times as long as broad. 

The greatest height of the body is considerably less than the length of head, 
and is contained five times in the total length without caudal. The greatest width 
of the body is less than one-half its greatest height. The least height of caudal 
peduncle equals the length of the orbit and about one-third of the greatest height 
of the body. Scales small, nine in an oblique series from the dorsal origin to the 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 



i^7 



lateral line, 82 tube-bearing scales and eight in an oblicjue series from the ventral 
origin to the lateral line. 

The length of the head is one-fourth of the total length to the end of the 
lateral line. The distance of the nape from the tip of the snout is nearly one-third 
of the distance from the tip of the snout to the origin of the first dorsal. The 
length of the maxilla is one-third of the length of the head. The mandible is one- 
half as long as the head. Lingual teeth present. The eye is as long as the snout 
and one-fourth as long as the head. Gill-rakers long and slender, the longest five- 
si.xths as long as the eye; there are 55 on the first arch, 35 of which are below the 
angle. The insertion of the dorsal is nearer the tip of the snout than tlie end of 
the middle caudal rays. The longest ray of the dorsal ecpials the length of the 
ventral and is containetl seven times in the total length to the end of the middle 
caudal rays (six and two-thirds times in length to end of lateral line). The length 
of the pectoral is one-sixth of the standard body length. 




LAKE HERRINC 



The insertion of the ventral is midway between the tip of the snout and the end 
of the middle caudal rays. When the ventral is extended the distance of its tip to 
the vent is only one-fourth of the length of the fin. In this respect the species 
differs widely from A. artcdi. 

The colors are, back grayish silvery; sides silvery ; dorsal and caudal with darker 
tips. 

53. Lake Herring (Argyrosoimis artcdi LeSueur). 

CorcgoiiKs artcdi Jordan & Gilbert, IJull, 16, U. S. Nat. Mas., 301, 1883; Be.^n, 

Fishes Penna., 69, pi. 26, fig. 48, 1893. 
Corogonus clupeiformis DeKay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 248, i)l. 60, fig. 198, 1842. 
Argyrosoimis artcdi Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., I, 468, 1896. 

The Lake Herring frequents shoal waters and occurs in enormous schools, as 
one may judge from the quantity captured in Lake Erie. Its food consists of 



,i8 



SKVKX 111 KKPUKT OF TlIK lOUKST, 1-ISIl AND c;AME COM .M ISSIUX. 



insects and crustaceans. During the spawning season of the Whitefish, however, it 
feeds exclusively on the eggs of this species and proves very destructive. The 
Lake Jlerring will take the hook, and has been caught with live minnows. 
Spawning takes jilacc about the end of Nox'ember in shoal waters. 

As a food fish this species is inferior to the Whitefish, but it is in great demand 
over an extensive area of the country, and is shipped in the fresh condition many 
hundred miles east and west. I have elsewhere referred to the enormous number 
taken in 1S85 in Lake Erie. These arc caught chiefly in pound and gill nets. The 
catch in 1885 amounted to more than one-third of the entire quantity of fishes 
taken in this lake. There is no apparent diminution in the number of these fishes, 
and their artificial propagation has only recently been commenced. 




MOONEYE CISCO. 

Mooneye Cisco {Argvrosoiniis Itoyi Gill). 

Argyrosomiis hoyi Gill, Mss.; Jordan, Amer. Naturalist, 135, March, 1875, Lake 
Michigan, near Racine, Wis.; Bean, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., IX, 342, 1897, 
Canandaigua Lake ;. Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., I, 464, 1S96. 

Coregontis /loyi Jordan, ^Lin. Vert. ed. 2, 275, 1878 ; Jordan &: Gilrert, Bull. 16, U. 
S. Nat. Mus., 299, 1883 ; S.mith, Bull. U. S. F. C, XIV, 6, pi. i, fig. i, 1895. 

Mr. Annin wrote me that the people at Canandaigua Lake told him that there 
were large quantities of small Lake Shiners, as they are called, in the lake. A fisher- 
man said that they are seen in immense schools at the top of the water occasion- 
ally, and, b\- firing a gun loaded with shot into them, men can stun them so as to 
pick up quite a number. They are eagerly sought after for trolling bait for the 
Salmon Trout fouiul in that lake. 

This species is recorded with certainty from Lake Michigan only. It is taken in 
gill nets in deep water and, notwithstanding its small size, has become commercially 
important. It was for the first time announced as a member of the New York- 
fauna in 1897, and the description leaves no doubt of the correctness of the identi- 



THE FOOn AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 



319 



fication. The fish examined, a female with ripe eggs, was taken in Canandaigua 
Lake, December 19, 1S96, by Mr. Annin's men. It was tlie only one caught, and 
was captured by becoming gilled in the funnel of the net. Mr. Annin is satisfied 
tliat this is the Lake Shiner of the fishermen, which the\' sometimes see in immense 
schools at the surface, and kill for trolling bait by shooting them. 



55. Long Jaw; Bloater {Ai-gy?-osoi!ii/s /'rogiiat/ins IL M. Smith). 

Ctui'goiiiis /roi;iurf/uis HucH M. S.Mrrn, Hull. U.S. V. C, XIV, 4, jjl. i, fig. 3, 1895, 

Lake Ontario, at \Vilson, N. V. 
Argyyosomus proi:^ihitInis Everm.vnx & S^nTH, Rept. U. S. F. C, XX, 314, pi. 26, i8g6; 

JoRU.AN & EvERM.ANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 471, 1896. 




K FISH, VIEWED FROM ABOVE. 



Body oblong, much compressed, back elevated, tapering rather abruptly toward 
the narrow caudal peduncle, the adult fish having a slight nuchal hump as in 
C. clupeiforniis: greatest depth three and one-half to four in body length; head 
rather short and deep, pointed, four to four and one-third in length; greatest 
width half the length, cranial ridges prominent; snout straight, its tip on level with 
lower edge of pupil; top of head two in distance from occiput to front of dorsal; 
mouth large and strong, maxillary reaching to opposite middle of pupil, two and 
one-half in head, length three times its width, mandible long, projecting beyond 
upper jaw when mouth is closed, reaching to or beyond posterior edge of eye, one 
and three-fourths to one and seven-eighths in head ; eye small, five in head, one and 



320 SKVKN 111 KKI'ORT OF THE KOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. 

one-half in snout, one and one-third in interorbital space, one and one-half in 
suborbital space; gill rakers slender, about length of eye, 13 above and 25 below 
angle. Adipose fin the length of eye, its width half its length. Narrowest part of 
caudal peduncle contained nearly four times in greatest body depth. Dorsal rather 
high, with nine or ten developed rays, the longest one-half longer than base of fin 
and contained one and three-fourths times in greatest body depth, three and one- 
fourth times in distance between dorsal and snout, and one and one-half times in 
head ; free margin slightly concave; origin niidwa\- between end of snout and base 
of caudal; dorsal base opposite nine scales. Anal with 10 to 12 developed rays, the 
longest ray equal to base of fin and two-thirds of height of dorsal. Vcntrals as long 
as dorsal is high, their origin mitlway between anterior edge of orbit and base of 
caudal. Ventral appendage short, covering about three scales. Pectorals as long as 
ventrals. Scales rather large, about 75 in lateral line, seven or eight above the 
lateral line, seven or eight below the lateral line. Lateral line straight except at 
origin, where it presents a rather marked curve. Sides of body uniformly bright 
silvery, with pronounced bluish reflection in life ; the back dusky, the under parts 
pure white without silvery color. Abo\'e lateral line, light longitudinal stripes 
involving central part of scales extend whole length of body. Fins flesh color or 
pinkish in life, the dorsal and caudal usually showing dusky edges ; postorbital area 
with a bright golden reflection; iris golden, ]nipil black. Branchiostegals, eight. 
Average lengtli, 15 inches. 

Habitat. Lake Ontario, Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, and doubtless the 
entire Great Lake basin, in deep water. This fish is called Long Jaw in Lakes 
Michigan and Ontario. Specimens were obtained from John S. Wilson, of Wilson, 
N. Y., and from George RL Schwartz, of Rochester, N. V. Dr. R. R. Gurley also 
secured examples at Nine Mile Point, N. Y., in June, 1893. 

This species is quite different from any other Whitcfish inhabiting the Great 
Lake basin. It ma_\- be at once distinguished from all the Whitefishes known to 
occur in the United States by the general foi-m of body combined with the \ery 
long lower jaw, which is contained less than twice in the length of the head and 
extends backward to or be\-oad the posterior edge of orbit. 



Till-: FOOD AND GAiME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 



56. Tullibee ; Mongrel Whitefish {Ari^yrostviiiis Uillihcc Richardson). 

Coregoiii/s tulliln-c Jordan & CiIlrert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 301, 1883; Bean, 
Fishes Penna., 70, pi. 27, fig. 49, 1893. 

Argyrosoiiiiis tiillihee Jordan, Man. Vert. ed. 2, 361, 1878 ; Evf.rm.ann & Smith, Rept. 
U. S. F. C, XX, 320, pi. 28, 1896 ; JoRn.4N & Evf,rm.\nn, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mas., 
473, 1896 ; B|.-.AN, Bull. Amcr. Mus. Nat. Hist., IX, 343, 1897. 

The body of the Tullibee is very short, deep and compressed ; its greatest height 
about one-third f)f the length without caudal. The head is pointed, as in the black- 
fin, the mouth large, with the lower jaw .scarcely longer than the upper. The 
maxilla extends to behiw the middle of the eye. The eye equals the snout in 
length and is two-ninths of length of the head. Scales much larger on front part of 




^.i^ 



Tin.I.IREE. 



body than on the caudal peduncle. The gill rakers are long, slender and numerous, 
about 30 below the angle on the first arch. D. 11; A. 11. Scales in lateral line 74, 
eight rows above antl seven below lateral line; pyloric c^vca, 120. The upper parts 
are blueish ; sides white and minutely dotted. The spermary, according to Rich- 
ardson, is wood-brown. 

This species is usually called the Tullibee, but in Lakes Erie and Michigan it is 
sometimes styled the Mongrel Whitefish on the supposition that it is a cross 
between the common Whitefish and the Lake Herring. 

The Tullibee has been taken recently in Lake Michigan : and Dr. E. Sterling 
had a specimen from Lake Erie. It is found occasionally in others of the Great 
Lakes, and extends northward into British America, but is comparatively little 
known to the fishermen and is very rare in collections. This fish grows to a length 
of 18 inches. 



322 SEVENTH REPORT OF THE FOREST, FISH AND (lAME COMMISSION. 

The late F. C. Gilclirist was the first to describe the habits of the TulHbee, and 
tills he did in Forest and Stream in the following language: 

In September they will again be found gradually nearing the shoal water, 
feeding hcaviK', and plump with fat and the now swelling ovaries. Later on they 
appear to eat little or nothing and devote all their time to playing until about the 
25th of October, when they have settled down to the business of propagation, 
which they have finished by November 10. The)- prefer shallow water close to 
shore with clean sand to spawn on, and during the tlay they may be seen in pairs 
and small scluiols, poking along the shores, but at night the\- come in thousands 
and keep up a constant loud splashing and fluttering, very strange and weird on a 
calm night. Two years ago I carefully counted the ova from a ripe fish, 2y> pounds 
in weight, anil founil there were 23,700, closely resembling whitefish eggs in appear- 
ance, but somewhat smaller. After spawning the fish are \-ery thin, lank, dull in 
color, and quite unfit for human food. 

James Annin, Jr., furnished me the following notes on the spawning of the 
Tullibee in Onondaga Lake, N. Y. 

They generally commence running up onto the shoals about November 15, and 
the season extends into December. They come up to the banks or gravelly shoals 
and spawn in from 3 to 6 and 7 feet of water. They have never been caught with 
the hook in this lake; and an old fisherman told mc that he had tried almost every 
kind of bait, and had used the very finest gut and the smallest hooks baited with 
6"(?;;/w^?r«J (fresh- water shrimp) and other kinds of natural food — that is, he sup- 
posed the food was natural to them. At the same time, he claims he could see them 
in large schools lying in the water 8 or 10 feet from the surface. 

A female Tullibee was sent from Onondaga Lake by Mr. Annin November 18, 
1895, and another of the same sex November 25, 1896. 

The following notes relate to the female obtained November 18, 1895 : 

INCHES. 

Length to end of caudal, . . - 18)^ 

Lengtli of upper caudal lobe, - - .... - 2^ 

Length of middle caudal rays, -------- i 

Least depth of caudal peduncle, ...-.-- i|/^ 

Depth of body at dorsal origin, ..------ 4^^ 

Length of head, 3/4^ 

Length of maxilla, . - - . - ^ 

, Diameter of eye, -....-.--- yz 

Length of longest gill raker, - Vif> 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 



^23 



The mandible projects slightly. B. 8 ; D. 1 1 ; A. 1 1 ; V. 1 1. Scales 8-75-8 ; gill 
rakers, 17-I-27. 

The female received November 25, 1896, is 15 inches long. 



57. King Salmon ; Quinnat Salmon (Oiiior/iynchiis tshaiuytsiha Walbaum). 

(Introduced.) 

0,n-or/iy„c/ii,s clwuicha Jordan & Gilhert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 306, 1883 ; Stone 
in Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S., I, 479, y\. 186, lower fig., 1884 ; Be.an, Bull. U. S. F. C, 
IX, 190, pi. XLVI, fig. I, 1891 ; Fishes Tenna., 72, 1893. 
Oiuorhynchus tschauytscha Jori).\n & Everm.\nn, r.ull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 479, 1896, 

pi. LXXVII, fig. 206, 1900. 
The Ouinnat Salmon is the largest and finest of the Pacific salmon. It ranges 
from Monterey, Cal., to Alaska and Eastern Asia, ascending rivers in some cases 




Lake, Idaho, Septembe 



1,500 miles or further from the sea. It has been introduced into lakes of New York, 
but there is no evidence that it has become established in any waters of the State. 
Possibly better results might be secured if larger fish were selected for the experi- 
mental stocking. 

This is the largest fish of the Salmon family, individuals weighing lOO pounds 
and measuring upward of 5 f^ot in length being on record from the Yukon and 
other Alaskan rivers. The average weight of adults is above 20 pounds. The flesh 
of this Salmon is paler in color than that of the Red Salmon, but it is superior in 

flavor to all others. 

the first to arrive near the shores in the spring, and the time of 



The Quinnat is 



324 SKVENTII Rlil'OKr OK Till-; FUREST, KISII AND GAME COMMISSION. 

the run ilcpciuls on llu- hititudc, bccominLj later and later till, in Norton Sound, the 
present known northern limit of its niii;ration, it ap[)ears early in June. Unless the 
spawniny^ period be close at hand, it iloes not ascend rivers rapidly, but generally 
plays around for a few days, or even a couple of weeks, near the river limit of tide- 
water. It has been estimated that it proceeds up the Columbia River at the rate of 
100 miles a ninnth till the exigencies of repnuluctiuii compel a faster rate of travel. 

In the sea this Salmon feeds on herring, capelin and crustaceans. A male of 
about 35 pounds, taken at Karluk August 4, had in its stomach 45 capelin. In fresh 
water the fish take no food. 

Spawning takes place near the head waters of streams in clear shallow rapids. 
The fish excavate oblong ca\'ities in the gra\cl beds where there is a current, and in 
these nests the eggs and milt are deposited. The eggs are protected from some of 
their enemies and fatalities by their en\ironment, but are still a prey to freshets and 
to the pestiferous little fresh-water sculpins, or blobs, that abound in all trout and 
salmon waters, so far as observed. The young are hatched in from 60 to 100 days. 
They are destroyed in large numbers by aquatic birds, blobs and large fishes. The 
adults are killed by seals, sea lions and sliarks. After spawning nearly all the 
parent fish die, especially those that ascend rivers a long distance. 

The Quinnat is a very valuable fish for canning, salting and smoking. If it could 
be acclimated in the Great Lakes it would foi'm the basis of new and important 
industries. The practicability of rearing this species in fresh waters without access 
to the sea has been satisfactorily demonstrated in France by Dr. Jousset de 
Hellesme, director of the aquarium of the Trocadero, in Paris. 

The results of the experiment of introducing this Salmon into New York waters 
are as j'et unknown, but it is to be hoped that it will be successful. Since the 
change of method by which larger fish are employed for transplanting the outlook 
appears to be more favorable. 

58. Atlantic Salmon {Sn/iuo su/iir Linn;eus\ 

Sahiifl sa/ar Mirrnii.i,, Trans. Lit. eV Phil. Sor. N. V., I, 435, 1815; Df.K.w, N. Y. 
Fauna, Fishes, 241, pi. 58, fig. 122, 1842; Jokdan & CliLUERr, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. 
Mus., 312, 1883 ; GooDE, Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S., I, 468, pi. 186, upper fig. 1884 ; 
Bean, Fishes Penna., 74, color \A. 4, 1893 ; Iord.vn & Evermaxx, Bull. 47, U. S- 
Nat. Mus., 486, i8y6 ; Bean, Bull. .Vmer. Mus. Nat. Hist., IX, 344, 1897. 

.The Salmoii in /\merica has but a single common name. When the young have 
reached a length of 2 inches and taken on the \'ermilion spots and dark cross bands 
they are called parr, and retain this name while lhe_\- remain in fresh water. Before 



TlIK FOOD 



AM) CAMF, FISIIKS OF NEW YORK. 



325 



descending to the sea in the second or third spring the parr assumes a bright silvery 

lolt. After a sojourn in salt water lasting from four 



coat and is then known as a s 
months to about two years it may return to its native river, either as a sexually 
immature Salmon or as a grilse, the female not yet ready for reproduong its species 
is sexually mature. The, landlocked variety of the Atlantic 
linated Fresh-water Salmon, Schoodic Trout, 



though the ma 

Salmon has been variously denom 

n and Winninish, the last in use in the Saginaw region, 
snomer. Grayling, is applied to the Landlocked 



Sebago Trout, Dwarf Salmoi 

In some Nova Scotian rivers a misr 

Salmon. 

This species inhabits the North Atlantic, ascending rivers of Lurope and Amer- 
ica for the purpose of reproduction. In Europe it extends southward to France, 
and in the United States the most southern river in which specimens have been 
obtained is the Potomac. It occurs in small numbers in the Delaware and in large 
numbers in the Hudson, but in the last three nver basins mentioned its presence is 




.Ml. ANTIC S.M.MON. 

,he re,„lt of artificial i,u,od„c.io„. I. .. n„. <o,nul in .>b>Hul,ncc »„.l, or .l,c 

Me„.i,»cl. and in ri.c, „. Nc" F.,„„ a-u. Canada in w„ic„ ^ -"■;•"-;; '" 

„,ai,„a,„cd a.nu,st ..clusivcly by artificial c„l,u,c Us occnacncc ,n Lake U an. 
„,„„ ,fic. S.. Lawrence River, anci .ribntarie, o( Lalce On.ar.c, „ d.,e .al.o 
Ldern fisi, cultnre. The nsnal .-eighl ot tlre Atlantic Salnron range, trc.n , to 
,0 ponnd. bnt rndrvidnaU weisbing 6„ pound, baee been recorded. T « grow 1, o^ 
1. Salmon i. acconrpltshed chiefly in the oce.an. A. a r.de the adnlt, enter the 
rivers on ,a -i,ing temperature when ready to deposit therr eggs, the spawnrng occnr- 
„g on the railing temperature in water no, warmer than 50'. The t,me o en.erm 
e'Delarvare a„d Hudson ,s .M.rtl. the Connect.cut a little later, the Merrnnac. 
still later; to the Penobscot the Salmon come most abundantly ,n June and Jul, 
d to t, e Mrramich, Irom the mrddle o, June to October. The Salmon ,s not 

Ich aflected by changes in temperature or the water, end ,g a range ot mUy 

r; The e.., a!e deposited ,u shoal water on sandy or gravelly bottom, the paren 
fi h ma.ing"eep depressions by means o, their noses or by floppiug mot.ons ot 



326 SKVENTIl KEI'OKT OK I'lIE FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. 

tlic tail. The i)criod of egg-depositing lasts from 5 to 12 days. The spawning 
season begins about the middle of October and may run into December. In some 
European ri\ers the season continues till l'"ebruary. The eggs are about one-fourth 
of an inch in diameter, and the female is estimated to have about i,ooo for each 
pound of her weight. In the i'enobscot, according to the observations of Mr. 
Atkins, an eight-pound female yields from 5,000 to 6,000 eggs; and a female of 40 
pounds about 15,000 eggs. The hatching period ranges from 140 to 200 days or 
more, depending on the temperature. A newly hatched Salmon is about three- 
fourths of an inch long, and the yolk sac is absorbed in from a month to six weeks. 
It then begins to feed on small organisms in the water. At the age of two months 
it measures i}4 inches and begins to show crossbars and red spots, gradually coming 
into the parr stage. In the sea the .Salmon feeds on herring, capelin, sand lance, 
smelt and other small fishes, besides crustaceans ; but during its stay in fresh water 
it takes no food. 

Among tlie worst enemies of salmon eggs arc trout, eels, suckers and frogs. 
Numerous species of birds destroy the fry, among them sheldrakes, kingfishers, 
gulls and terns. 

The value of the Salmon as a food and game fish is so well known as to require 
no description here. Those that find their way into market are usually caught in 
pound nets, gill nets or seines, and tlie bulk of them are taken at or near the mouths 
of tlie streams which they are about to enter for the purpose of spawning. Many 
are captured in the upper reaches of streams by the spear. 

Mitchill, in the first volume of the Transactions of the Literary and Philo- 
sophical Society of New York, says that the Salmon "has been taken, since tlie 
di.scovery, a few times in the Hudson. But here he is a straggling fish, and not in 
his regular home. There is no stead)- migration of Salmon to this river. Though 
pains have been taken to cherish the breed, the Salmon has never frequented the 
Hudson in any other manner than as a stray." 

In 1842 DeKay published the following note: 

The Sea Salmon rarely now appears on our coast except as a straggling visitor. 
Such an occurrence took place in August, 1S40, when a Salmon weighing eight 
pounds entered the Hudson River, and ascended it more than 150 miles, when it 
was taken near Troy. * * * It now is only seen on our northern borders, 
ascending the St. Lawrence fi'om the sea, and appearing in Lake Ontario in April, 
and leaving it again in October or November. They were formerly very abundant 
in the lakes in the interior of the State which communicateil with Lake Ontario; 
but the artificial impediments thrown in their way have greatly decreased their 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF N'EW VOKK. 32/ 

numbers, and in many cases caused their total destruction. I have seen some from 
Oneida Lake weighing ID and 15 pounds. * ■•■" ■■• They are occasionally found in 
Lake Ontario during the whole year; but, as the same instinct which compels them 
to ascend rivers also leads them again to the sea, and as there is no barrier 
opposed to their return, we may presume that these are sickly or possibly barren 
individuals. 

Experiments for restocking the Hudson are now in progress, and it is probable 
that the river may again become a Salmon stream. 

59. Landlocked Salmon {Sa/mo schago Girard). (Litroduced.) 

Sii/mo sclmgo Girard, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila., 380, 1853, Sebago Lake, Maine. 
.Sa///n> sa/nr var. sebago Jordan & Gilbert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 312, 1883. 
Sa/mo sa/ar sf/>ago Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 487, 1S96 ; Bean, 
Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., IX, 344, 1897. 

There are at least two well marked races of Salar Salmon which do not enter the 
sea but live permanently in fresh water. Both of these differ from the migratory 
Salmon in several particulars : they are smaller, their eggs are larger, they retain the 
parr marks much longer, they are more subject to disease attending the egg-pro- 
ducing season, and the young grow more rapidl}-. The Oua]ianichc of the Saguenay 
River country is the farthest removed from the typical Sea Salmon by its very 
mucli smaller size, larger fins and different pattern of coloration. 

The larger of the two Landlocked Salmon of the United States is found in the 
four river basins of the State of Maine, the Presumpscot, Sebec, Union and St. 
Croix. Here the weights vary considerably, spawning fish ranging all the way from 
3 pounds to 10 or 12 pounds, while occasional individuals reach 25 pounds. The 
Sebago form is the one that has been introduced into the Adirondack lakes and 
other New York waters. Spawning begins late in October, but is at its height in 
November. Eggs are shipped in January, February and March, and the fry are 
ready for planting in June. 

At Green Lake, Me., the Landlocked Salmon often endure a summer tempera- 
ture above 80° F., but they refuse to take food when the water reaches 75°. 

This Salmon has been introduced into New York waters from Maine, and 
appears to have become established in several localities. Caspian Lake is one of 
the lakes that have been stocked. A very fine example was obtained from the 
South Side Sportsmen's Club of Long Island, but it was injured in transportation 
and never recovered. In April, 1896, several individuals from Maine were presented 
by Eugene G. Blackford. One of these lived in a tank of salt water in the New 



328 SEVENTH REPORT OF THE FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. 

^'ork aquarium for 19 months, and was tlicn frightened by visitors when the water 

was drawn low for cleaning, and injured itself so badly that it died after a few 

hours of struggling. The following measurements were obtained from the fresh 
f^sh. 

INCHES. 

Length, ----....--.. 24 

Middle caudal rays from end of scales, ------ i^ 

Depth, - - - - 4 

Least depth of caudal peduncle, -------- i^ 

Head, ------------ 4^ 

Snout, ------------,- ii^ 

Eye, - - - - Li 

Orbit, ^ 

Snout to dorsal, --.. gi^ 

Dorsal base, -- 2^/^ 

Longest dorsal ray, -- 2|^ 

Last dorsal ray, ----..-.--- 1% 

Snout to ventral, --...,--.- ni^ 

Length of ventral, ----- 2^ 

Snout to anal, ----- \(>Yi 

Anal base, ------ ij^ 

Longest anal ray, ---------- i^ 

Last anal ray, ----------- ji^ 

Snout to adipose dorsal, 17^ 

Width of adipose dorsal, - - j4 

Length of adipose dorsal, - - - y^ 

I^ength of pectoral, - - 3^ 

Upper jaw, .--.-.-.-.- 2^ 

Maxilla, ------- 2 



The head has about 28 dark spots, the largest on the gill cover, oblong, 5-8 inch 
long. Body with many large and small black spots, a few with a pale ring around 
them, and some as large as the largest on the gill cover; one on the caudal peduncle 
of one side distinctly X-^li'iP'-'<-i- General color dark bluish gra)' ; belly and lower 
parts iridescent silvery; fins all dusky: the dorsal with many black spots; eye pale 
lemon, the upper part dusky. 

Gill rakers, 9+ 1 1, the longest /.o inch. B. 11 ; D. 10. Scales, 21-123-20. 



THE FOOD AM) GAMK FISHES OF NEW YORK. 



129 



60. Lake Tahoe Trout; Red-throat Trout {Sa//uo /w/is/iatai Gill ik ]ovdan). 

(Introduced.) 

Si!/'/it> lu'iisluj'a'i Gii.L &r Jordan, Man. Vert. ed. 2, 358, 1S78, Lake Tahoe ; Rept. Chief 

Eng., part 3, 1878, .\pp. NN, 1619, pi. IV. 
Saliiio piirpiiratiis var. lunshawi ]oK\)Kfi & Gilbert, Bull. 16, U. .S. Nat. Mus., 316, 1883. 
Sabno mykiss ('heney, Third Ann. Rept. N. Y. Comm. Fi.sh, 239, color pi. facing p. 238, 

1898. 
Salmo mykiss hens/iawi ]ov.XiAt>i, Bull. U. S. F. C, IX, 14, pi. II, fig. 5, 1891 ; Jord.\n & 

EvERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 493, 1896. 
Salmo clarkli hcnsJuuc'i Jordan & Evermann, op. cit. 2819, pi. LXXIX, fig. 208, 1900. 

Body elongate, not much compressed, its greatest depth one-fourth of the total 
length without caudal ; caudal peduncle rather long, its least depth equaling two- 
fifths of the length of the head ; head hang, conical, slender, its length contained 
about four times in the total to caudal base ; a slight keel on the top of the head ; 




lake tahoe trout. 



snout obtusely pointed ; maxilla not extending far behind the eye, about equal to 
pectoral, which is three-fifths of length of head; gill rakers short and stout, about 
18 on the first arch, of which 13 are below the angle; vomerine teeth in two long, 
alternating series; hyoid teeth rather weak, in a small patch; dorsal fin small, its 
last rays two-thirds as long as the highest ; anal fin rather high ; caudal short and 
distinctly forked. D. 9 to ii ; A. 12; B. 10. Scales 27 to 37-160 to 200-27 to 40; 
pyloric c^ca 50 to 60. 

Color dark green in life, varying to pale green ; the sides silvery with a broad 
coppery shade which extends also on the cheeks and opercles ; a yellowish tinge on 
the sides of the lower jaw and red or orange dashes between its rami ; back every- 
where covered with large, roundish black spots; dorsal, adipose fin and caudal fin 
with similar spots, and a few on the anal ; belly with black spots. 

The Tahoe Trout is a large species inhabiting Tahoe Lake, Pyramid Lake, Web- 
ber Lake, Donner Lake, Independence Lake, Truckee River, Humboldt River, 
Carson River, and most streams of the east slope of the Sierra Nevada ; it occurs 



330 SEVEXTIl KEl'ORT UF TIIK FOKKST, KISII AND CAME COMMISSION. 

also in the head waters of F"eather Ri\-er. west of the Sierra Nevada, proljably by 
introduction from Nevada. 

The usual weight is 5 or 6 pounds, but individuals weighing 20 to 29 pounds are 
recorded. 

Eggs of the Lake Tahoc, Cal., Trout were obtained by James Annin, Jr., at 
Caledonia, N. V., and young fish reared at his establishment were sent to the aciua- 
rium in November, 1896. They throve till the latter [Kirt of June, 1S97, when the)- 
were overcome by the warm water. The_\- could not endure a transfer to the cooler 
salt water, like most of the other fish of the Salmon family. 

At Caledonia Station, according to Mr. Cheney, this fish begins to spawn before 
the middle of March, and continues for two months. The impregnation of eggs is 
from go'/'c to g$%, but just before the hatching period a large number of the eggs 
burst and the embryos are lost. There is loss too between the hatching and feeding 
times, and the fry do not feed as readily as the Brook Trout. Altogether, Mr. 
Annin, the superintendent of hatcheries, estimates the total loss between impregna- 
tion of the eggs and feeding of the fr\- as about 40','. After the fry begin to feed 
they are not more difficult to rear than Hrook Trout. 

61. Steelhead ; Gairdner's Trout ; Salmon Trout {Sa/tno gain/iiiri Richardson). 

I Inti-oduced.i 

Sa/iim i^ainhieri Jordan & GiLHEur, ISull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 313, 1883; IJe.an, 
Bull. U. S. F. C, IX, 198, pi. XI, IX, fig. 9, 1891, not fig. 10, which is young niykiss; 
JoRU.^^N & EvERMANN, Bull. 47, U. .S. Xat. iMus., 498, 1896, ]j1. LXXXI, fig. 215, 
1900; Cheney, Third .\nn. Rept. N. V. Comni. Fish, 241, color pi., 1898. 

Form of .V. salar. Body elongate, little compressed, its greatest depth two- 
ninths of the total length without caudal ; caudal ])eduncle short, its least depth 
three-sevenths of length of head ; head rather short, one-fifth of total length without 
caudal, ma.xilla reaching far behind the eye, its length one-half the length of head ; 
eye small, two-thirds of length of snout, two-elevenths as long as the head : teeth 
rather small, vomerines in two long, alternating series about as long as the palatine 
series; gill rakers short and stout, about 20 on the first arch, of which 12 are below 
the angle; dorsal origin much nearer to tip of snout than to base of caudal, base of 
dorsal two-thirds of length of head, longest dorsal ray one-half the length of head 
and twice as long as last ray ; adipose fin very small and narrow, over the beginning 
of the anal; caudal fin moderately forked in the \iuing; ventral origin mitlway 
between tip of snout and base of caudal, ventnd fin one-half the depth of body; 
anal base one-half as long as the head, longest anal r.iy eijual to postorbital part of 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 



331 



head; pectoral fin r>ne-ei_L:;hth of total length without caudal. B. 11 or 12; D. 1 1 ; 
A. 12. Scales from 137 to 177, usually about 150-28; pyloric caeca 42; vertebrae 
38-1-20=58. Color olive green above, sides silvery, head, back, dorsal and caudal 
fins profusely covered with small black spots, no red between the rami of the lower 
jaw. 

The Steelhcad Trout is found in coastwise streams from Southern California to 
Bristol Bay, Alaska. It spawns in the late winter and early spring; ripe eggs were 
obtained at Sitka, Alaska, June 10. Spent fish of this species are frequently taken 
with the spring run of the King Salmon. 

The economic value of the Steelhead is very great; the fish reaches a weight of 
30 pounds, though the average weight is under 20 pounds, and the non-anadromous 
forms seldom exceed 5 or 6 pounds. 

From information furnished by Mr. Annin it appears evident that some of the 
eggs of Trout received at Caledonia, N. Y., many years ago from the McLeod River, 




STEELHEAD. 

Cal., as Rainbows, really included both Rainbows and Steelheads. He finds certain 
females producing deep salmon-colored eggs while in the same pond and receiving 
the same food as other females which furnish very light-colored, almost white, eggs. 
Some of the females also differ from others in going to the spawning beds nearly 
two months earlier. It is now known also that the McLeod contains a small-scaled 
form of the Rainbow, known to the Indians as the iios/n-r, and this also may easily 
have been sent to the east under the name of Rainbow. Striking differences in the 
appearance and habits of so-called Rainbows introduced into the various States 
lend color to this supposition. 

Steelheads were obtained for the New York aquarium in November, 1896, from 
the U. S. Fish Commission. They were hatched from eggs shipped from Fort 
Gaston, Cal., to the station at Craig Brook, Me. The length of the trout when 
received ranged from 4 to ^Vi inches. After one year they were 10 inches long on 



33- SEVKNTH REl'ORr UK Tin-: I'ORKST, MSII AM) GAME COMMISSION. 

the average, and weighed many times as much as they did when received. None of 
them at any time showed a red lateral band such as is present in the Rainbow, and 
they are farther distinguished b_\- tlic presence of white tips on the ventral and .inal 
fins; the dorsal also has a small white lij). They have been kept almost from their 
arrival in salt water, and could not ha\e been kept in the warm Croton water in 
June. The saltwater never rose above 71 ij° F. and continued at this high tem- 
perature only 10 daj's. 

The N. Y. Fisheries, Game and Forest Commission planted some of these trout 
in a Long Island stream and some in a lake in Northern New Wirk. Those that 
were planted on Long Island, says Mr. Cheney, when rather more than a year old 
rose to the fly of the trout fisherman and made a most gallant fight, but it is too 
early to tell the outcome of the experiment. The eggs are one-fifth of an inch in 
diameter; they hatch in 42 to 50 days with water at 50°. 





BROWN TROUT. 



62. Brown Trout {Sa/iito fario Linn;eus). (Introduced.) 

Salmo fario Beak, Fishes Penna,, 78, color pi. 6, 1893; Jordan & P:vermann, Check- 
List Fish. N. \., 512, 1896. 
Salar ausoiiii C.\i\\v.v. & Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. I'oiss., XXI, 319, pi. 618, 1848. 

The Brown Trout of Europe was introduced into the L^nited States from 
Germany in February, 1883, and in subsequent years ; it has now become thoroughly 
acclimated in the fresh waters of many of the States. 

The body of this trout is comparatively short and stout, its greatest depth being 
contained about four times in the length without the caudal. The caudal peduncle 
is short and deep, its depth equal to two-fifths of the length of the head. The 
length of the head in adults is one-fourth of the total length without caudal or 
slightly less. The diameter of the eye is about one-fifth of the length of the head, 
andless than length of snout. The dorsal fin is placed nearer to the tip of the snout 
than to the root of the tail ; the longest ray of this fin equals the distance from the 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 333 

eye to the end of the opcrcle. The ventral is under the posterior part of the dorsal ; 
its length is about one-half that of the head. The adipose dorsal is placed over the 
end of the anal base; it is long and expanded at the end. The caudal is emarginate 
in young examples, but nearly truncate in specimens lo inches long. The pectoral 
is nearly one-sixth of the length without the caudal. In the male the jaws are pro- 
duced, and very old ones have a hook. The maxilla extends to the hind margin of 
the eye. The triangular head of the vomer has a transverse series of teeth, and the 
shaft of the bone bears two opposite or alternating series of strong persistent teeth. 
D. 13-14; A. lO-ii; P. 13; V. 9. Scales 25-20-30; pyloric ca;ca 38-51; vertebrae 

57-58- 

On the head, body and dorsal fin usually numerous red and black spots, the latter 
circular or X-^^haped and some of them with a pale border ; yellowish margin usually 
present on the front of the dorsal and anal and the outer part of the ventral. The 
dark spots are few in number below the lateral line. The ground color of the body 
is brownish or brownish black, varying with food and locality. 

Nanus. In European countries in which this species is native it bears the name 
of trout or brook trout or the equivalents of these terms. In Germany it is bach- 
fcrcllc ; in Italy, trota ; in France, tniitc. In the United States it is known as the 
Brown Trout and von Behr trout, the latter in honor of Herr von Behr, president of 
the Deutscher Fischerie Verein, who has been very active in the acclimation of the 
fish in America. 

Distribution. The Brown Trout is widely distributed in Continental Europe and 
inhabits lakes as well as streams, especially in Norway and Sweden. Tributaries of 
the White Sea, the Baltic, the Black Sea and the Caspian contain this species. In 
Great Britain it lives in lakes and streams and has reached a high state of perfec- 
tion ; in Germany and Austria, howiever, the Trout is a characteristic fish, and our 
supply has been drawn principally from the former country. Moreau found it at an 
elevation of 7,000 feet in the Pyrenees, and a color variety is native to Northern 
Algeria in about if north latitude. In the United States the Brown Trout has 
been successfully reared in Colorado at an elevation of nearly 2 miles above sea 
level ; it is now well established in New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Missouri, 
Michigan, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Colorado, and several other States. This Trout has 
proved to be well adapted to the region east of the Rocky Mountains, which has no 
native black spotted species, though the western streams and lakes contain many 
forms in a high state of development. 

Size. Under favorable conditions the Brown Trout has been credited with a 
weight of 22 pounds and a length of 35 inches. In New Zealand rivers, where it 



334 SEVENTH REPORT OF THE FOREST, FISH AM) CAME COMMISSION. 

was introduced with unusual success, it now approximates equal size; but in most 
localities lO pounds is about the limit of weight and 5 or 6 pounds is a good average, 
while in some regions the length seldom exceeds i foot, and the weight ranges from 
yi pound to I pound. In the United States a wild specimen, seven years old, 
weighed about 11 pounds. In a well in Scotland an individual aged 15 years meas- 
ured only about I foot in length. These illustrations will serve to show how much 
the growth of a Hrown Trout is affected by its surroundings and food supply. The 
species has been known to become sexually mature when two years old and 8 inches 
long. 

Habits. The Brown Trout thrives in clear, cold, rapid streams and at the 
mouths of streams tributary to lakes. In its movements it is swift, and it leaps over 
obstructions like the Salmon. It feeds usually' in the morning and evening, is more 
active during evening and night, and often lies quietly in deep pools or in the 
shadow of overhanging bushes and trees for hours at a time. It feeds on insects and 
their larva;, worms, moliusks and small fishes, and, like its relative, the Rainbow 
Trout, it is fond of the eggs of fishes. In Europe it is described as rising eagerly 
to the surface in pursuit of gnats, and is said to grow most rapidly when fed on 
insects. 

Reprodiictioii. Spawning begins in October and continues through December 
and sometimes into January. The eggs are from one-sixth to one-fifth of an inch in 
diameter and yellowish or reddish in color; they are deposited at intervals during a 
period of many days in crevices between stones, under projecting roots of trees, and 
sometimes in nests excavated by the spawning fishes. The parents cover the eggs 
to some extent with gravel. The hatching period varies according to temperature 
from 40 to 70 days. Females aged three years furnish on the average about 350 
eggs each, but individuals of this age have yielded as many as 700, and even at the 
age of two years some females produce from 400 to 500. When they are four or 
five years old, the number of eggs has reached 1,500 to 2,000. The young thrive in 
water with a temperature of about 50° F. Sterility in the females is common, and 
breeding females have been observed to cease reproduction when eight years old. 

Qualities. The Brown Trout is in its prime from May to the last of September. 
Its flesh is very digestible and nutritious, and deeper red than that of the Salmon 
when suitable food is furnished ; the flavor and color, however, vary with food and 
locality. Insect food produces the most rapid growth and best condition. This 
species has been so long known as one of the noblest of the game fislies and its 
adaptability for capture with artificial flies because of its feeding habits is so well 
understood that I need not dwell on these familiar details. 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 335 

63. Hybrid Trout (Brown and Brook). 

A very beautiful and interesting h)'brid is produced by crossing the Brown Trout 
and the Brook Trout. The following is a description of this hybrid : 

Salmo (hybrid = fario-)-fontinalis) 

Hybrid Trout. 
In a paper published some years ago the writer stated, as a result of his studies, 
that when a large-scaled trout is crossed witli a small-scaled one, the hybrid will be 
large-scaled whichever way the cross be made. The hybrid between the Brown Trout 
and the Brook is a large-scaled form, and it is sterile as far as reported. The New 
York aquarium has had this h)-brid from the South Side Sportsmen's Club and from 
the New York hatcheries at Coldspring Harbor, L. I., and Caledonia. It is always 
a strikingly handsome fish, and grows to a large size ; but it is far less hardy than 
either of its parents. The cross has always been artificially made, and never occurs 
natural!)'. Two specimens studied gave the following measurements in inches : 

MEASUREMENTS. 

CALEDONIA, N.Y. OAKDALE, N. Y. 
JUNE 10. 1896. .MARCH 23, 1897. 

JAMES ANNIN, Jr. G. P. SLADE. 

Extreme length, ------- gj/( 141^ 

Length of middle caudal rays from end of scales, ^ 

Depth of body, ------- i^ 3^ 

Least depth of caudal peduncle, . - - i/^ 

Length of head, ------- 2 2>% 

Length of snout, ------ i^ i^ 

Length of upper jaw, ------ \y^ 

Length of lower jaw, ----- i^ 

Diameter of eye, ------- s/js 7/,5 

Distance from snout to dorsal origin, - - 3^ 

Length of dorsal base, ------ i3/,6 

Length of longest dorsal ray, - - - - \^/ib 

Length of last dorsal ray, ----- ^ 

Distance from snout to ventral origin, - - 4^ 

Length of ventral, - - - - - - i^ 

Distance from snout to anal origin, - - - 6 

Length of anal base, - . . ^ - . "/^ 

Length of longest anal ray, ... - ij^ 

Length of last anal ray, - - . - - J^ 



336 SKVHN'Tir RErOR'l" OF THK FOREST, FISH AM) CAME COMMISSION. 



Tlie Caledonian specimen has no hyoitl teetli ; tlic vomerincs are in a very small 
patch on the head of tiie bone only. The gill rakers are 4+10, the longest about 
one-half the diameter of the eye. It has about 124 tubes in the lateral line. 
Hranchiostegals, 10. The following color notes were taken from the fresh fish: 
Dorsal fin with numerous ilark blotches resembling those of young rainbow; adipose 
long anil slender, amber color with two obscure dusky blotches, one of these very indis- 
tinct ; lower half of sides pink ; ventral, anal and caudal pink; ventral and anal with 
a milk white front margin, that in the anal limited behind by a dark line as in Brook 
Trout ; sides reticulated with large meshes of lemon yellow interspersed with darker 
purplish or olive. Dorsal blotches are mingled witli pale lemon. Pectoral pale 
vermilion. Eye silvery white with yellowish reflections. 

The specimen from Oakdale, L. I., weighed 20 ounces. It has a triangular patch 
of vomerine teeth, as found \n foiitina/ls, but continued behind by several teeth in 
a single row, the entire length of the \omerine series being seven-sixteenths of 
an inch. 




LOCH LEVEN TROUT. 

64. Loch Leven Trout [Sa/iiio Irulta Icvcncnsis Walker). (Introduced.) 

..Vrf/wc /('?r//c/;.f/V Walker, \\'ern. ^[em., 1,541, 1811 ; Warrei.i., lirit. Fish., ed. 2, II, 117, 
1841 ; ed. 3, I, 257, fig. 1859; CiUNTHKK, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus., VI, loi, 1866; Day, 
Fish. Great I'.rit. \: Ireland, II, 92, pi. CXVI, fig. 2 & 2a, 1884; Baird, Kept. U.S. 
]•■. C., Xil, 1,\ III, 1SS6. 

Salino tnitta /nriifiisis Jordan iS; Evermann, Check-List Fish. N. \., 512, 1896. 

The Loch Le\'en Trout of Great Britain was introduced into the United States 
from .Scotland in iSS, and subsequent }-eai-s. It is somewhat closely related to the 
European Brown Trout, Saliiio fario, and has been artificially crossed with that 
species in the United .States, .so that it is sometimes difficult to find the pure bred 
I.och Levens in fishcultural establishments at home". 

The body of the Loch Leven is more slender and elongate than that of the 
Brown Trout, its greatest depth contained four and one-fourth to four and one-half 
times in the total length without caudal. Caudal i)eduncle slender, its least depth 



THE FOOD AND GAMK FISHES OF NEW YORK. 337 

three-eighths of the greatest depth of the body, and equal to length of snout and 
eye combined. The head is rather short and conical, its length two-ninths to one- 
fifth of the total length without caudal. The snout is one-fourth or slightly more 
than one-fourth as long as the head. The interorbital space is somewhat con- 
vex, its width equal to three-fifths of the length of postorbital part of head. 
The eye is of moderate size, its long diameter contained five and one-half to 
si.K times in the length of the head, and equaling about twice the greatest 
width of the maxilla. The maxilla reaches to or slightly beyond the hind 
margin of the eye. Teeth rather strong, those in the intermaxillary and man- 
dible the largest, triangular head of vomer with two or three in a transverse 
series at its base, teeth on the shaft of the vomer usually in a single, partially 
zigzag, persistent series. Mandible without a hook and little produced even in 
breeding males. Dorsal origin distant from tip of snout about as far as end of 
dorsal base from base of caudal; the dorsal fin higher than long, its base one-eighth 
of total length without caudal, its longest ray equal to longest ray of anal fin. The 
anal fin is much higher than long, its distance from the base of the ventral equaling 
len-nh of the head. The ventral origin is nearly under the middle of the dorsal, 
the fin being as long as the postorbital part of the head. Pectoral equals length of 
head without the snout. Adipose fin very small, its width one-half its length, which 
is about equal to eye. Caudal fin emarginate unless fully extended, when it 
becomes truncate, the outer rays about one-seventh of total length, including 
caudal. D. i3(=-iv, 9): A. i2(=iii, 9); P. 14; V. 9. Scales 24 to 28—118 to 
130 — 26 to 30; pyloric ca;ca 47 to 90; vertebrae 56 to 59. 

Upper parts brownish or greenish olive, or sometimes with a reddish tinge, sides 
silvery with a varying number of x-shaped black spots, or sometimes rounded brown 
spots or rounded black spots which may be ocellated ; occasionally red spots are 
seen on the sides, and the adijDose fin may have several bright orange spots, or it 
may show a red edge and several dark spots ; sides of the head with round black 
spots; dorsal and adipose fins usually with numerous small brown spots; tip of 
pectoral blackish ; anal and caudal fins unspotted, but the caudal sometimes has an 
orange margin and the anal a white edge with black at its base ; a similar edge may 
sometimes be observed on the ventral. 

The Loch Leven Trout is a non-migratory species, inhabiting Loch Leven and 
other lakes of Southern Scotland and of the North of England. Its range in Great 
Britain and on the Continent of Europe has been greatly extended by fishcultural 
operations, and the fish is now fairly well known in the United States, though 
mixed to some extent with the Brown Trout, as remarked above. 



^3^ SF.VKXTH KKPOKT OF THE FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. 

The Loch Lcvcn Trout has been recorded of the weight of i8 pounds, but the 
average weight at 6 years of age is about " pounds, tliough some individuals of that 
age may reacli lO jjounds. The natural food of this species includes fresh-water 
mollnsks (snails, Ihicciniiiu. etc.), crustaceans, worms and small fish. In captivity it 
is reared on li\cr, horse flesh, chopped clams and \arious other meats. 

As a fooil fish the Loch Lcven is highly esteemetl on account of the red color 
and the delicate flavor of its flesh when obtained from suitable waters; in some 
localities the flesh often becomes white from lack of food or improper food. 

The spawning season may begin late in .September or early in October and 
continue till December. In Michigan it corresponds with that of the Brook Trout. 
The c^z varies from about one-fifth to one-fourth of an inch in diameter. A Trout 
weighing 2 pounds contained 1,944 eggs, the weight of wdiich was one-half pound. 

The Loch Leven will take the artificial fly as readily as the Brown Trout and 
the Brook Trout. Its great size and strength add to its attractions for the angler. 




R.^lNliOW TROUT — AnUI.T M.ALE. 



65. Rainbow Trout (.SVr/wc /r/V/cwi Gibbons). (Introduced.) 

Salmo iridcus Clmiioxs, Proc. Cal. .\c. Nat. Sci., 36, 1855, .San Leandro Creek, Alameda 
County, Cal.; Jord.-\n & Gilbert, Bull. 16, U. €. Nat. Mus., 312, in part, 1883; 
Bean, Bull. U. S. F. C, XII, 36, pi. V, figs. 2 & 3, 1894 ; Fishes Penna., 77, color 
pi. V, 1893 ; .\nn. Rciu. N. \ . Comm. Fish, etc., I; Jordan & Ever.mann, Bull. 47, 
U. S. Nat. Mus., pi. LXXXl, fig. 216, 1900. 

Salmo irideus shaita Jordan & Evermann, liull. 47, V . ^. Nai. Mus., 502, 1S96. 

Body short and deep, its greatest de[)th equaling two-sevenths of the total length 
without cautlal. The least depth of caudal peduncle equals one-half the length of 
head. The head is short and deep ; its length is contained about four and two- 
thirds times in the total length without the caudal. The snout is short, not much 
longer than the eye, about one-fourth the length of head. Diameter of the eye 
contained four and two-thirds times in length of head ; )iia\illa not cpiite reaching 



THE FOOD AM) CAMK FISllF.S OF NFW VOKK. 



339 



to below hind margin of eye; vomcrines in two in-egular series; gill rakers about 
20. Dorsal origin a little nearer tip of snout than to caudal base. The length of 
the dorsal base is contained seven and one-half times in total without caudal, and 
slightly exceeds longest dorsal ray ; last dorsal ray one-half as long as the longest. 
Ventral origin is under middle of dorsal base; the fin is as long as the longest dorsal 
ray ; the \entral appendage about as long as the eye ; when the ventral is extended, 
the distance of its tip from the vent is one-third of length of head. The anal base 
is a little more than one-half as long as the head ; the longest anal ray equals the 
longest dorsal ray; the last ray is not quite so long as the eye. Adipose fin short, 
its width nearly equal to its length and two-thirds of diameter of eye. B. 1 1 ; D. 1 1 
divided rays and 4 rudiments; A. 10 divided rays and 3 rudiments. Scales 21 — 135 
to 140 — 20. 

The upper parts usually greenish blue, sometimes purplish ; the sides more or 
less silvery and profusely spotted with small black spots, which are most numerous 




RAINBOW TROUT — YOUNG. 

above the lateral line; head, dorsal, adipose, and caudal fins also black spotted. 
Sea-run specimens are uniform silvery without black spots. In the breeding season 
the broad crimson lateral band becomes brighter, and the sides of both sexes are 
iridescent purplish. The jaws of the male in the breeding season arc not much 
distorted, but they are very much larger than in the female. 

The Rainbow Trout is a native of the mountain streams of the Pacific coast and 
ranges from California to Southern Alaska. A small example was taken at Sitka, in 
1880, by Admiral L. A. Beardslee, U. S. N., and is now in the collection of the U. S. 
National Museum. This trout is found chiefly in mountain streams west of the 
Sierra Nevadas. It rarely descends into the lower stretches of the rivers, but 
occasionally does so and passes out to sea. The Rainbow has been extensively 
introduced into many Eastern States, but not with uniform success. In Wisconsin, 
Michigan, Missouri and North Carolina it has been well acclimatized, and it is also 
fairly established in New York. 



340 SEVKNTH KKPORT OF THE FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. 

The average iinli\i(.luals of this species are less tlian i foot in length, but speci- 
mens measuring niori- than 2 feet and weighing 13 ])ounds have been recorded. At 
Neosho, Mo., the young have been artificially grown to a length of nearly i foot in 
a year. 

The Rainbow feeds on worms, insect larv;v and salmon eggs. In streams in 
which the California Salmon and Rainbow exist together, the Rainbow is more 
destructive to the salmon eggs than any other species. Spawning takes place in 
winter and early spring, \arying with temperature and locality. The bulk of the 
eggs are usually taken in January, l-'ebruary and March, and the average yield 
from each female is about 900 eggs. A few of the females spawn when two years 
old, but about one-half of them begin at three years. The egg is from one-fifth to 
two-ninths of an inch in diameter; it has a rich cream color when first taken, chang- 
ing to pink or flesh color before hatching. 

The Rainbow will live in water of a much higher temperature than the Brook 
Trout will endure and it thrives in tidal streams and even in salt water. On Loner 
Island, for example, the South Side Sportsmen's Club obtains a great deal of fine 
sport with this trout in the estuary of its trout brook. The flesh of the Rainbow 
is generally much esteemed, and in most localities the game qualities of tlie fish are 
scarcely infeiior to those of the Brook Trout. 

Large Rainbow Trout do not stand transportation well A\hen ice is used to cool 
the water in which they are carried. They frequently injure their eyes, and become 
blind soon after the end of a journey. They are inveterate fighters, and the strong- 
est invariably rules and harasses the rest. Contrary to what has been stated hereto- 
fore, they will not endure high temperatures as well as the Brook Trout, at least in 
the aquarium. 

66. Swiss Lake Trout (Sa/ino Icinaniis Cuvicr). (Introduced.) 

Sii/mo Icmaniis Cuvikr, Regne Anim. fulc Gunther; (Iuxther, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus., 

\'l. Si, 1866. 
Salmo tnitta Jurink, Mem. Soc. Phys. Geneve, III, i, 158, pi. 4, 1825. 
Fario U-iiuimis Cuviek & Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss., XXI, 300, jjI. 617 (male), 

1848. 
Swiss Lake Trout Atkins, Rept. U. .S. F. C, XVII, XVIII, XIX, 1893 and 1894. 

Head well proportioned in its shape, of moderate size, boil)- rather stout ; 
preoperculum with a distinct lower limb, operculum rather broad and high ; snout 
of moderate length, rather produced in the male sex, in which a mandibular hook is 
de\-elopud in the spawning season ; maxillary longer than the snout, and at least as 



THE FOOD AM) GAME l-ISHES OK NEW YORK. 341 

strong and broad as in .S". fario ; in specimens 12 inclics loni^ it extends somewhat 
behind the vertical from the hind margin of the orbit. Teeth moderately strong, 
those on the vomer in a single series, alternately bent toward the right and left, 
persistent throughout life. I'ectoral fin rounded, its length being less, and in young 
individuals more than, one-half of its distance from the ventral. The caudal 
becomes truncate with age; in specimens of from 12 to 15 inches in length it is 
emarginate, the mitldlc rays being half as long as the outer ones. The hind part of 
the body of motlerate depth: there are 13 or 14 scales in a transverse series 
descending from behind the adipose fin forward to the lateral line. 

Back greenish, sides and belly silvery, numerous very small X-sliaped black spots 
on the sides; opercles and dorsal fin \\ith numerous black dots; the other fins 
greenish. D. 13 ; A. 12 ; P. 14 ; V. 9. Scales 26 to 28 — 115 to 128 — 36; pyloric 
caeca 45 — 52 ; vertebrae 57 (once), 58 — 59. (After Glinther.) 

Attempts have been made from time to time to introduce into large, cold lakes 
of the United States the fine Lake Trout of Lake Geneva, Switzerland. Eggs have 
been furnished to the U. S. Fish Commission by the Swiss government, and these 
were hatched at the Craig Brook, Me., station, and from there the young were 
distributed to lakes believed to be suitable for the experiment. \\\ New York, the 
Adirondack League Club obtained 1,000 of the young of this species in 1896 and 
deposited them in Green Lake, in Herkimer County. The specimen described below 
is probably one of the results of that experiment. Swiss Lake Trout were furnished 
also to the New York Fish Commission for planting in Lake George, and 100 vear- 
lings were presented to the New York Aquarium. 

A specimen taken in Green Lake, Adirondack League Club preserve, Herkimer 
County, July 29, 1899, was forwarded to the U. -S. Fish Commission, Washington, 
D. C, and there described by Dr. \V. C. Kendall, from whose notes the following 
account is drawn. 

The total length of the specimen is ii.'s inches. When first taken it was 
reported to measure iiA^ inches. The body is moderately elongate, its greatest 
depth contained three and three-fifths times in the total length to base of caudal. 
Head large, slightly more than one-third of total length to base of caudal ; eye 
rather large, about one-fifth of length of head ; snout long, about three-tenths of 
length of head ; teeth on jaws, palatines and tongue long, curved and sharp, those 
of the lower jaw longest, shaft of vomer long with a zigzag row of sharp teeth ; gill 
rakers short, the longest one-third of diameter of iris, 44-11 on right side, 5+10 
on left side. Height of longest dorsal ray t\\-o-thirds of length of head. Pectoral 
five-eighths as long as the head. B. 11-12 ; D. 9 ; A. 8. Scales in lateral line 115. 



342 SEVKNTII RKPOKT OF THE FOREST, FISH AM) CAME COMMISSION. 



General appearance of Saliiio salar scba}:;o, from which it would probably not be 
distinguished by the casual observer if cauc^ht where the Landlocked Salmon 
occurs; but the Icnwiniis is distinguishable by the hea\ier appearance forward of 
the dorsal fm. 

Color in spirits, brownish on back, top of head and sides of head ; sides and 
belly very silvery ; large roundish black spots abo\'e lateral line forward and on 
cheeks and opercles ; perpendicularly elongate spots forward below lateral line; 
black of all spots most intense on edges of scales; posteriorly the spots show only 
on the edges of the scales, being \'ariously crescentic, double or triple crescentic, 
X or double X-s'i-ipcd ; fins pale with slightly dusky tinge; dorsal with 5 trans- 
verse rows of black spots. 

Mr. De Witt, who sent the specimen, furnished the following notes on Green 
Lake, from whence it was forwarded : " ALa.ximum depth 42 feet, with temperature 
at bottom at that dc])th, as far as I have been able to ascertain, about 40°. Has no 
outlet so far as we know. No Brown Trout have ever been put in it, and we take it 
for granted that the specimen I send is one of the Swiss Trout." 





^^^n^'^S^ 



L.\KE TROUT. 

67. Lake Trout; Salmon Trout [Cristivonicr //rrwrtirw.^V/ Walbaum). 

Salmo amctliystiniis Mitchii.i., Jour. .\c. Nat. Sci. Phiia., I, 410, iSiS. 

Salmo confiiiis DeKav, N. V. Fauna, Fishes, 238, pi. 38, fig. i.;^, 1S42. 

Salmo amethystiis Df.K.w, op. cit. 240, pi. 76, fg. 241. 

Salvcliiius namayciish Jordan & Gilisert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 317, 18S3; Goode, 

Fish. & I'isli. Ind. U. S., I, 485, pi. lyill, 1884; Bkax, Fishes Penna., 82, color pi. 

8, 1893. 
Cristivomer iiaiinnnisk Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 47, V . .S. Nat. Mus., 504, 1S96, ])1. 

LXXXII, fig. 217, 1900; Be.\n. Bull. .\nKT. .Mus. Nat. Hist., L\, 348, 1897. 

I he Lake Trout or Namaycush has a stout and moderately elongate body. The 
caudal peduncle is slender; its height little more than onc-thirtl of the greatest 
height of the fish. The eVe is large, placed near the top of the head, two-thirds as 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 343 

long as the snout, and contained four and a lialf to five and a lialf times in lengtli of 
head. The maxilla reaches far behind the eye ; its length nearly half that of head. 
The origin of the dorsal is midway between tip of snout and root of tail. The 
length of the base equals length of maxilla ; its longest ray one-sixth of total 
without caudal. The ventral is under the hind part of dorsal ; its length half the 
length of head. The appendage is very short, about half the length of eye. The 
fin, when extended, reaches nearly to the vent. The distance between ventral 
origin and anal origin is one-fifth of total length without caudal. The anal base is 
about one-third of length of head ; the longest ray half of length of head ; the last 
ray equal to eye. The pectoral is nearly two-thirds as long as the head. B. 1 1 to 
12 ; D. 9 to lo, besides several rudiments ; A. 9 and several rudiments ; V. 9. Scales 
of lateral line about 200. 

The coloration is extremely variable, generally grayish, in the variety known as 
the Tuladi, nearly black. Alaskan specimens are usually very dark ; occasionally 
the upper parts are pale. The sides are profusely covered with roundish pale spots, 
sometimes with a reddish tinge. On the back and top of head there are fine 
vermiculations resembling those of the ]5rook Trout. The caudal, in addition to 
numerous pale spots, has many small dark blotches. 

The Lake Trout has received many names, among which are the following: 
Mackinaw, Namaycush, Togue, Tuladi and Salmon Trout. Additional names of 
the species are Lunge, Red Trout, Gray Trout, and Black Salmon. Togue and 
Tuladi are names applied in Maine, New Brunswick and Canada, Mackinaw and 
Salmon Trout in the Great Lakes region, the latter used also in New York. Namay- 
cush is of course an Indian name. 

The Lake Trout is native in the Great Lakes region, lakes of New York and 
New England, Idaho and northward into Labrador, British America and Alaska. 
Extending over such a wide range of country, it varies greatly in size, form and 
color, which will in part account for the various names which it has received. It 
has been found abo\'e the Arctic Circle in Alaska. 

This is one of the largest species of the Salmon family resident in fresh waters. 
It reaches a length of 3 feet, and specimens Vvcighing 40 pounds are not uncommon. 
It is said that an example of 90 pounds and 6 feet in length has been taken. The 
species is found in its best condition in Lakes Huron, Michigan and Superior. In 
Alaska it grows to a large size, and is a very shapely and beautifully colored fish. 

The Lake Trout is one of the most rapacious fishes of its family. In Lake 
Michigan it feeds largely on the Cisco and other small Whitefishes. At Two Rivers, 
Wis., a Lake Trout measuring 23 inches was found to contain a Burbot about 17 



344 SEVKN'TII REPORT OF THE FOREST, FIS1[ AND GAME COMMISSION. 

inches long. The gluttony of this species is proverbial. It will devour table refuse, 
and materials of this kind have frequently been taken from its stomach. Even 
twigs, leav'es and pieces of wood have been taken by this Trout. The species is 
much more sluggish in its habits than the Brook Trout, and is taken on or near the 
bottom. The gill and pound nets in which this species is principally captured are 
set in deep water. 

The spawning of the Lake Trout usually begins in October and continues into 
November. \'\>v this jjurpose tlic\- come up on rocky shoals and reefs in depths of 
from 70 to 90 feet, and spawn near the eilges of rock caverns, into which the eggs 
settle. The young are hatched late in the winter or early in spring. In some locali- 
ties the depth of the spawning areas ranges from 15 fathoms to only 7 feet. Mr. 
Milner found 14,943 eggs in a Lake Trout weighing 24 pounds. In the hatchery, 
with a water temperature of 47°, the young hatch about the last week of January, 
but their hatching may be retarded several weeks by lower temperatures. 

The fishery for the Lake Trout is most active in September, October and Novem- 
ber, and the fish are taken chiefly in pound and gill nets. In some regions many of 
them also are caught with hooks. In Lake Erie a few large trout of this species, 
weighing from 25 to 40 pounds, are taken off the city of Erie. In 1S85, according to 
the statistics of the U. S. Fisli Commission, 100,000 pounds of Lake Trout were 
taken in Erie County, Pa. 

Hon. II. \V. -Sage is authority for the information that the Lake Trout was form- 
erly common in the lake near Ithaca. About 1830 a large individual was found 
stranded in Cayuga Lake Inlet, about i "/j miles from the lake. 

68. Brook Trout iS,r/:r/i/t//s fo/i/i/tn/is Mitchill). 

S(i/iiu> fontinalis Mitchill, Trans. Lit. \; I'liil. Soc. N. \ ., I, 435, 1815, near New 
York; Richardson, Fauna Bor,-.\nier., Ill, 176,1)!. 83, fig. i, 1836; UeK.w, N. Y. 
Fauna, Fishes, 235, pi. 38, fig. 120, 1842. 

Saliiw erythrogaster DeKay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 236, pi. 39, fig. 136, 1842. 

Baioiic fontinalis UeKav, op. cit. 244, jil. 20, fig, 58, 1842. 

Salveliniis fontinalis Goode, Fish. & Fish. Ind. U. S., I, 497, pi. 192, 1884; Bean, 
F""ishes Penna., 80, color pi. 7, 1893; lUill. .Viiier. Mus. Nat. Hist., IX, 350, 1897; 
Bowers, Manual Fish Cult., ed. 2, color pi. frontispiece, 1900; Jordan & Ever- 
MANN, Bull. 47, U. S, Nat. Mus., 506, pi. LXXXII, fig. 218, 1900. 

Tiie Hrook Trout varies greatly in the shape of tiie body, which is sometimes 
short and tleep and again elongate and moderately thin. The depth is usually 
about one-fourth or two-ninths of total length witiiout cauiial. and about equal to 



THE FOOD AND GAME ELSIIES OF NEW YORK. 



345 



length of head. The least depth of the caudal peduncle is a little more than one- 
third of its greatest depth. The head is large and the snout somewhat obtuse. 
The eye is in front of the middle of its length, a little more than one-half as long as 
the snout, and about one-sixth of length of head. The dorsal fin is about midway 
between tip of snout and root of tail. The length of its base equals about half its 
greatest depth of body. The longest ray equals length of ventral. The ventral 
origin is a little behind the middle of the dorsal. In the male, when laid backward, 
it reaches nearly to the vent. The length of the appendage equals that of the 
eye. The anal base is two-thirds as long as the ventral, its longest ray equal to 
ventral. The adipose fin is short and stout, its width two-thirds of its length and 
about two-thirds of length of eye. D. lo; A. g. Scales in lateral line 225 to 235; 
six gill rakers above the angle of the first arch, 1 1 below. 







BROOK TROUT. 

The coloration is highly variable with age and locality. The upper parts are 
usually grayish, much mottled with dark olive or black. The dorsal fin and anterior 
part of caudal base and top of head are also mottled. The caudal has narrow dark 
bars. The lower fins dusky with a cream}' white anterior edge bound behind by a 
narrow black streak. On the sides numerous pale brownish blotches encircle small 
vermilion spots. 

The Brook or Speckled Trout of the east is indigenous to the region east of the 
Alleghany Mountains and the Great Lakes region, extending from North Carolina 
on the south to Labrador on the north. The distribution of this Trout has been 
wonderfully extended by artificial introduction, as it has always been a favorite with 
fish culturists. It is now to be found thriving in many of the Western States and 
Territories, and is particularly thrifty in Nebraska, Colorado, Nevada, and California. 
It has also been sent to Mexico and to European countries. The average Brook 
Trout seldom exceeds 7 or 8 inches in length, and smaller indi\'iduals are much 



34^ SKVFATII RKl'OKT OK THE KOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. 

more abundant and rc<iuirc legal protection. In the northeastern part of its habitat 
the ]5rook Trout grows much larger, specimens weighing from 3 to 6 pounds being 
not uncommon ; and in one of the Rangcley lakes an individual weighing 1 I pounds 
is recorded, while Seth Green took a 12-pound specimen in the Sault St. Mary, and 
Hallock mentions one which was said to weigh 17 pounds. 

The Brook Trout does not flourish in water warmer than 68° and prefers a tem- 
perature of about 50°. It is an inhabitant of the cold, clear mountain streams, and 
will leave a region w^hich becomes polluted by mill refuse and other hurtful sub- 
stances. In the Long Island region and around Cape Cod, where tlie Brook Trout 
has free access to salt water, it has the habit of going to sea in the fall and remain- 
ing during the winter. It then grows rapidly and becomes a much more beautiful 
fish than many which li\-e e.\clusi\ely in fresh water. In hot weather, when the 
temperature of the streams becomes too high and lakes are accessible, trout seek 
the deep parts of the lakes and the vicinity of cold springs. In streams they are to 
be found in deep pools or in channels. They feed in spring and early summer 
among the rapids on insects and small crustaceans. 

The Brook Trout is a nest-builder. Cavities are made in the gravel, and the nest 
is shaped with the tail, antl the larger stones are carried in the mouths of the 
parents. After the eggs are deposited they are covered with gravel. The eggs are 
not all deposited at one time. Spawning usually begins in C^ctober, but Brook 
Trout are spawning at some locality in almost every month of the year except mid- 
summer. The egg is about one-fifth of an inch in diameter, and varies in color from 
pale lemon to orange red. The average }-ield of the female is from 400 to 600. 
Livingston Stone has taken 1.800 from a fish weighing i pound. 

The period of hatching will depend on the temperature, ranging from 165 days 
in water of 37° to 32 days in water of 54". The yolk sack is absorbed in from 30 to 
80 days, and after its absorption the young fish begin to feed. The rate of growth 
w-ill of course depend on the amount of food consumetl. In artificial culture year- 
lings, according to Mr. Ainsworth's estimate, will average 2 ounces; fishes of two 
years 4 ounces; of three years, 8 ounces, and of 4 years, i pound. 

The value of the Brcxjk Trout as a food fish and its game qualities are so well 
known that I need hardly refer to them here. 

The Brook Trout is well adapted to domestication in aquarium tanks ; it soon 
overcomes its fear of moving objects, takes its food regul.irly, and is always attrac- 
tive because of its beauty and graceful movements. It will live in fresh and salt 
water. When it is attacked b\- fungus in fresh water, the parasite is easil\- killed by 
introducing salt water, graduall}- increasing in salinity, antl tlie trout is not at all 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 347 

injured or inconvenienced by the treatment. In captivity tlic food consists almost 
entirely of cliopped liard clams and liver for the young, while hard clams, live 
killifish and occasional earthworms are given to the large fish. The increase in size 
with such feeding is remarkable. A Brook Trout from Caledonia, N. Y., not more 
than T,y, inches long in November, 1896, measured 12I/4 inches in length and 3^ 
inches in depth December 10, 1897. 

A single young Brook Trout from Caledonia survived in water of 76° F., but that 
temperature was generally fatal to the species. 

Dr. Meek has found the trout in small streams on the uplands throughout the 
Cayuga Lake basin. 

Mitchill knew this fish chiefly as an inhabitant of Long Island waters, and has 
given an interesting account of the fishing at Nichols', Patchogue and Fireplace, 
where a Mr. Robbins in 12 days in the summer of 1814 caught igo trout weighing 
139 pounds II ounces. The largest at Patchogue weighed 2;^j pounds, the largest 
at Fireplace, 3 pounds. A Mr. Purvis of New York caught a trout measuring 
24 inches and weighing 4^< pounds at Fireplace. 

At that time, according to Mitchill, the trout was "bought at the extravagant 
price of a quarter of a dollar for a single fish not more than 10 or 12 inches 
long," and New York anglers traveled "away to Hempstead and Islip for the 
pleasure of catching and eating him." 

69. Saibling {Sahc/iniis alpinits Linnaeus). (Introduced.) 

SalDio alpiniis Linn.eus, Syst. Nat., ed. X, I, 309, 1758, Lapland, West Gothland. 
SalvcUnus alpinus Bean, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., Sterling Lake, New York and New 

Jersey ; Jordan & Evermann, Check-List Fish. N. A., 293, 1896 ; and Bull. 47, 

U. S. Nat. Mus., I, 508, 1896. 

Body moderately elongate, compressed, its greatest depth two-ninths of total 
length to caudal base; the caudal peduncle short and stout, its least depth two-fifths 
of length of head ; head rather short, its length contained from four and one-third 
to four and one-half times in total length to base of caudal (middle caudal rays). 
The body is somewhat elevated at the nape and for a short distance behind it. 
Mouth large, the maxilla reaching somewhat behind eye, its greatest width less than 
one-fourth of its length, the upper jaw one-half as long as the head; eye rather 
large, nearly equal to snout, one-fifth of length of head ; interorbital space convex, 
one and one-half times diameter of eye; lower jaw very slightly projecting ; vome- 
rine teeth in a very small patch on the head of the bone, lingual teeth strong, teeth 
on both jaws well developed, those of the mandible strongest ; gill rakers short, 



34^ SKVKNTH RKPORT OK Tin: FORKST, ITSII AM) GAME COMMISSION. 

strai.Ljlit, very slender, the longest one half as long as the eye, ii above and 14 
below the angle of the first arch. The dorsal origin is nearer to tip of snout than 
to base of caudal, its distance from the snout equaling twice the length of head; 
the tlorsal base is as long as the postorbital jjart of head ; the longest dorsal ray 
is two-thirds as long as the head, and nearly twice as long as the last ray. Adipose 
fin twice as long as wide, as long as the iris, its origin distant from base of middle 
caudal rays a space equal to length of head without the snout ; the fin is over the 
end of anal base. W-ntral midway between tip of snout and base of middle caudal 
ra_\-s, its length two-thirds of length of head ; its appendage as long as the eye. 
Anal fm distant from ventral origin a space equal to length of head ; anal base as 
long as snout and eye combined; longest anal ray equal to ventral and nearly two 
and one-half times last anal ray. Pectoral as long as the head without the snout. 
Caudal well forked, its outer rays about as long as the pectoral fin. 

Color of the upper parts dark gray or greenish, the sides with a silvery shade 
passing into a deep red or orange on the lower half and, especially, the bell}-; red 
spots on the sides; lower fins margined with white and a blackish shade within the 
margin; sides of the head silvery; dorsal and caudal fins uniform dusky, unspotted. 

The .Saibling has been introduced into the United States, and a specimen was 
obtained from Sterling Lake, N. J., December 29, 18S8. This was presented by A. 
.S. Hewitt, Jr., to Eugene G. Blackford of New \'(irk City, and b)- him forwarded to 
the U. .S. National Museum for identification ami preservation. The specimen is 
9V5 inches long. It does not differ in any way from European specimens with 
which it has been compared, as may be seen from the following description : 

The greatest height of the body equals two-ninths of the total length without 
caudal ; the least height of the caudal peduncle is two-fifths of greatest depth of 
body and one-thirtl of length of head. Head lai'ge, one-fourth of total length with- 
out caudal ; snout equal to eye, four in head ; ma.xilla extending to slightly behind 
orbit, its width nearly one-fourth of its length ; mandible slightly projecting. 
Dorsal origin nearer to tip of snout than to base of caudal; base of dorsal one- 
half as long as the head ; longest dorsal ray equal to pectoral and nearly two-thirds 
of length of head ; last dorsal ray one-third of length of head. Adipose fin over 
the last two or three anal rays, its length abnut equal to diameter of iris. The 
ventral origin is under the fifth or si.xth divided ray of the tlorsal ; the fin is as long 
as the postorbital part of the head ; its appendage is not quite one-third as long 
as the fin, and equals the diameter of the iris. The anal base is four-ninths as long 
as the head ; the last ray of the fin is one-half as long as the longest, which is 
one-half as long as the head. The pectoral reaches almost to below the origin of 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF XEW YORK. 



349 



the dorsal, its length two-thirds of length of head. Caudal deeply forked, its middle 
rays less than one-half as long as the outer, which are equal to length of head with- 
out the snout. 

The fish is an immature male with about lo oblong parr marks on the sides and 
with a few narrow dark blotches simulating half bands on the back from near the 
nape to a point behind the dorsal fin ; numerous pale spots along the middle of the 
sides, each of which no doubt had a vermilion spot in the center in life. 

Sterling Lake is in New York and New Jersey ; and it was stated that the trout 
are found in streams emptying into the lake. This is noteworthy as being the only 
instance, as far as known, of successful introduction of the Saibling into our waters. 



70. Sunapee Trout ; Golden Trout ; Silver Trout (Sahr/iuus aurcolus Bean). 

(Introduced.) 

Salvdinus aurcolus Bean, Proc. U. .S. Nat. Mus., 628, 1887, Sunapee Lake, New 

Hampshire. 
Salvdinus alpiuus aurcolus Jord.an, Forest and Stream, Jan. 22, 189 1; Quackenbos, 

Trans. N. Y. Ac. Sci., XII, 139, 1893; Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. 

Mus., I, 511, 1896, pi. LXXXIII, fig. 220, 1900. 




sunapee trout. 

The type of the description, No. 39,334, was obtained in Sunapee Lake, N. H., 
in the fall of 1887 by Dr. John D. Quackenbos. 

The length of the specimen to the caudal base is 6% inches; the greatest 
height of the body equals the length of the head, and is contained about four 
times in the total without caudal ; the least height of the tail equals one-third the 
length of the head. The maxilla reaches past the middle, but not to the end of 
the eye ; its length is contained about two and two-thirds times in length of head. 
The length of the upper jaw is contained about two and one-third times in the 
length of the head, and is equal to the longest anal ray ; the eye is a little longer 
than the snout, and is contained four and two-sevenths times in the length of the 
head ; hyoid teeth well developed ; the first dorsal is a little nearer the tip of snout 



350 SK.VK NTH KKPOKP OF THE FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. 

tlian to the base of cauilal, and the leiigtli of its base is one-half the length of the 
head ; the adipose dorsal is distant from enil of first dorsal a space equal to twice 
the lengtli of the \'entral ; the anal is at a distance from the snout equal to about 
three times the length of the head ; the longest anal ray is equal to the length of 
the upper jaw : the length of the middle caudal rays is equal to twice the diameter 
of the eye. The ventral is situated midway between the tip of the snout and caudal 
base; its length equals one-half the length of the head. The length of the pectoral 
is about twice the width of the interorbital area. B. lo ; D. iv, 9 ; A. iii, 8 : P. 13 : 
V. 9. Scales, 35-210-40; gill rakers, 6-(- 10-12. The peculiarity of the gill rakers of 
this trout is that they arc always curled up at the ends and not straight, as in the 
oqnassa from Maine. 

Colors. Sides silvery white. Back with about six well-defined band-like mark- 
ings, besides some irregular dark blotches. There are about 10 parr marks on the 
sides and numerous small, roundish, white spots. In colors this char is different 
from the oqiiassa from Maine, but, if fresh specimens of the Maine trout were 
compared with this young fish, the difference in color might not be so great. 

The specimen described is a young male with the spermaries showing as a mere 
slight ribbon. Its stomach contained an earthworm and, the wing cases of a squash 
beetle. The other two specimens (somewhat smaller) are females far from maturity. 

In a female, I I inches in total length, both parr marks and bands across the back 
show very plainly. This female has a few free eggs in the abdominal cavity and 
seems to be nearly spent. In examples of this size the tail is deeply forked, the 
middle rays being less than one-half as long as the external rays. 

In males the pectoral is always longer than in females of equal size. 

The following color notes were taken from Nos. 38,321 to 38,328, collected by Col. 
Hodge in Sunapee Lake, December 10, 1886. Head and upper parts brownish gray, 
caudal the same, with the exception of a narrow white margin on the lower lobe; 
under surface of head, in most examples, brownish gray, in others whitish ; belly 
orange, this color extending up on the sides but not to the middle line of the body ; 
anal orange, with white margin in front ; ventrals orange, with broad white margin 
on the outer rays; pectorals, gray upper half anil orange lower half; dorsal gray, 
lighter along the base ; sides, both above and below lateral line, with numerous 
orange spots, fading out to whitish. The largest of these spots are little more than 
one-third as long as the iris. No mottlings anywhere. 

The Golden Trout is a nati\-e of Sunapee Lake and Dan Hole Pond, in New- 
Hampshire, and of I'lood's Pond, in Maine. Doubtless it e.xists in otlier lakes of 
New England and British North .America. 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW ^■UKK. 



351 



It is a large species, reacliing a length of 20 inches and the weight of 6 or 8 
pounds; even larger individuals have been reported. Spawning takes place in 
Sunapee Lake on reefs in shallow water, and not in the streams tributary to the 
lake ; the season is about the same as for the Brook Trout. The colors of the male 
in the breeding season are gorgeous, and the sight of a host of spawning fish in the 
water is one to be remembered. 

Many large and small trout of this kind have been deposited in Lake George 
and other suitable waters of the State. 

71. Smelt; Ice Fish (Osuicms iiiordax Mitchill). 

At!ieiina iiiordax Mitchill, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y., I, 446, 1815, New York. 
Osincnis viridcicciis DkKav, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 243, pi. 39, fig. 124, streams flowing 

into Long Island Sound, Hackensack and Passaic Rivers. 
Osiiicnis Iiiordax Bean, Fishes Penna., 64, pi. 26, fig. 46, 1893; Jordan & Evermann 

Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., I, 523, 1896, pi. LXXXVI, fig. 228, 1900; Evermann & 

Kendall, Rept. U. S. Commr. Fish & Fisheries for 1894, 593, 1S96, Lake Mem- 

phremagog and Lake Champlain. 




SMELT. 

The Smelt is known along our east coast from Labrador to Virginia. It prob- 
ably extends still farther north, but the record of W. A. Stearns, published in the 
Proceedings of the National Museum for 1883, p. 124, fi.xes the most northern 
locality known at present. He found the Smelt common in August in shoal water 
off the wharves of Cape Breton. In Pennsylvania the fish is common in the spring 
in the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers. In numerous lakes of Maine, New Hamp- 
shire, and other New England States, the Smelt is common landlocked, and thrives 
as well as in the salt water. 

DeKay knew the Smelt as a marine species ascending the Hackensack and 
Passaic Rivers. The species occurs also in Lakes Champlain and Memphremagog. 
In the former lake it reaches a large size. At Port Henry, N. Y., the fish is called 
Ice Fish. 



352 SEVENTH RErOKT OF THE FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. 

The up[)cr parts are greenish; abroad silvery band along the sides ; body and 
fins with numerous minute dusky points. 

The Smelt grows to a length of i foot ; the average size as found in the markets 
is about 7 inches. It enters the rivers for the purpose of spawning and is most 
abundant in the winter and early spring months. Spawning takes place in the 
Raritan Ri\er, N. J., in March. The eggs of the Smelt have been artificially 
hatchet! b}- Mr. Ricardo, Fred Mather and other fish culturists. 

The Smelt begins to run into Gravesend Bay in December and remains during 
cold weather. In the spring it ascends rivers to spawn. The eggs are small ('^4 inch 
in diameter) and number 496,000 to the fluid quart; they adhere to stones, twigs, 
etc., on the bottom. Some females begin to spawn when only 3 or 4 inches long. 

Its range has been widely extended by artificial introduction, which is very easily 
effected b\- transporting the fertilized eggs from the small brooks in which the 
species spawns. 

In fish cultural operations " the spawning fish, of both sexes, are placed in 
troughs, which arc covered to exclude light, which is very injurious to the eggs. 
The eggs are naturally laid and fertilized, and become attached to each other and to 
the troughs. They are scooped up with a flat shovel, placed on wire trays in water, 
and are forced through the meshes of the trays to separate them. They are 
hatched in automatic shad jars, blanketed to exclude light. If during hatching the 
eggs bunch, they are removed from the jars and again passed through the meshes 
of the wire trays." 

The Smelt is an excellent food fish and is also used for bait, and still more 
extensively as food for Landlocked Salmon, Lake and Brook Trout and other 
important salmonoids, which are artificially reared in lakes. It has proved to be one 
of the best fishes for this purpose. Immense quantities of Smelts are caught 
during the winter months in nets, seines and by hook and line. They are usually 
shipped to market in the frozen condition, packed in snow or crushed ice. The fish 
which ha\'e not been fi'ozcTi, liowevcr, are prized more highly than any others. 

The fry are hardy in transportation. 

In captivity the adults live till about the end of June, when the water becomes 
too warm antl the\' die. Their food consists mainl)- of shrimps and other small 
crustaceans. 



TI!E FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 



353 



72. Banded Pickerel {Liiciits anicricanus Gmelin). 

Esox scomheriiis Mitchh.l, AniL-r. Month. Mag., II, 322, March, 1818, Murderer's 

Creek, New York. 
Esox fasciafiis DeK.w, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 224, |)1. 34, fig. no, 1842, streams and 

ponds of Long Island. 
Esox aiiic'-ica/nis Be.^n, Fishes Penna., 89, pi. 28, fig. 53, 1893. 

The Banded Pickerel is probably identical with the " Mackerel Pike " of Mitchill. 
It is a small fish, seldom exceeding 12 inches in length, and will not average more 
than Yz pound in weight. It occurs only east of the Alleghanies, from Massachu- 
setts to Florida in coastwise streams. In Pennsylvania it is limited to waters in the 
eastern part of the State, and the same is true in New York. 

This Pickerel is too small to have much importance as a food fish. It resembles 
in general appearance and habits the Little Pickerel of the west. It frequents clear, 

'""^vJr ' "^ ^'^ 

BANDED PICKEREL. 

cold and rapid brooks and is said to associate with the Brook Trout without injury 
to the latter. 

December 30, 1895, James Annin, Jr., sent from Rockland. N. Y., a small Pickerel 
which had attracted his attention on account of its colors and markings. It was 
taken in a small spring brook, tributary to the Beaverkill, which, about 10 or 15 
miles below, unites with the Delaware. Subsequently two examples were forwarded 
alive from the same place. The following notes and measurements, in inches, 
relate to the first individual of undetermined sex, the organs being undeveloped. 

MEASUREMENTS. 

INCHES. 

Length, including caudal fin, --------- "jV^ 

External caudal lobe (horizontally), i/^ 

Middle caudal rays (from end of scales), - ^ 

Length of head, i^ 

Greatest depth of body, ---- \]/i 

23 




354 SK\'KXT1I KEPOKT OF THK FOREST, FISH AND OAMF: CO^rMISSIO^^ 



Least depth of cauthil iieduncle, ^ 

Length of snout, ^ 

Length of maxilla, ii/;^, 

Length of mandible, lY,^ 

Diameter of eye, ----------- sy\^ 

Distance from snout to dorsal, ........ ^3/'^^ 

Length of dorsal base, ......... ^ 

Length of longest dorsal ray, ------ 

From end of dorsal to caudal origin, ----- 

Distance from snout to pectoral, . . - . . 
Length of pectoral, -..----. 

Distance from snout to ventral, - . . . . 

Length of ventral. ._..---. 

Distance from snout to anal, ------ 

Length of anal base, --.-..-. 
Length of longest anal ray, .--.-. 
From end of anal base to origin of lower caudal lobe, - 

"" n 



Va 

!/.5 

Vx 



i.rrii I lit k 



V>. 12; D. 12; A. II ; V. 9. Scales, 24-110. Tlic maxilla reaches to below the 
middle of the pupil. The mandible project.s '/,6 of an inch A\hen the mouth is 
closed. The diameter of the c\-c is contained five and two-thirds times in length of 
head. The stomach was empty, but insect remains were voided from the vent. 

73. Little Pickerel [Lucius vcriniculatus LcSueur). 



Eso.x vcr>iuiiildtiis ili'.AN, Fishes I'enna., 90, ])I. 28, fig. 54, 1893. 

Lucius vcriniculatus Jordan & Evkr.manx, Hull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., I, 627. 1S96. 



This Pickerel inhabits the valleys of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers and streams 
flowing into the Great Lakes from the southward. In ponds formed in the spring 
by the overflow of river banks it is one of the characteristic fishes and is often 
destroyed in great numbers by the drj-ing up of such bodies of water. In Pennsyl- 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 



355 



vania the Little Pickerel, or Trout Pickerel, is comnifni in the Ohio and its tribu- 
taries. Prof. Cope mentions it also as an inhabitant of the -Susquehanna River, in 
which it is probably not a native. 

The U. S. Fish Commission obtained a moderate number of specimens in the 
Lake Ontario region at the following New York localities: Black Creek, tributary of 
Oswego River, Scriba Corner, July 15 ; Lakeview Hotel, 7 miles west of Oswego, July 
17 ; Wart Creek, July 24; Great Sodus Bay, August 16; Outlet Long Pond, 4 miles 
west of Charlotte, August 7; Marsh Creek, near Point Bree/.e, August 21. This fish 
grows to the length of i foot and is, therefore, too small to have much importance 
for food. 

74. Chain Pickerel ; Green Pike {Lucius reticnlatus LeSueur). 

Esox reticnlatus Jordan iS: GiLiiKKT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 353, 1883. 
Esox reticnlatus Bean, Fishes Penna., .90, pi. 29, fig. 55, 1893. 
Esox tridecemlineatus Mitchill, Mirror, 361, 1825, Oneida, N. Y. 




CHAIN PICKF.RKL. 

The Chain Pickerel is known under other names ; it is the Jack of the south, the 
Federation Pike of Oneida Lake, N. Y., the Green Pike of the Great Lakes and the 
Eastern Pickerel of many writers. It does not occur west of the Alleghanies, but is 
found from I\Laine to Florida and Alabama cast of this range of mountains. It 
lives in ponds, lakes and streams and occurs within the same territory as L. aiiicri- 
cauus, but farther away from the coast. (After Eugene Smith, Proc. Linn. Soc. 
N. Y., No. 9, p. 29, 1897.) 

At Water Mill this Pickerel occurs in or near brackish water at the east end of 
Mecox Bay, and it is in very plump condition on account of the abundance of small 
fishes on which it feeds, for example, the .Silversides, young Sunfish, and small 
Killifishes of several kinds. 

Dr. Meek notes that the species seems to be subject to individual variation. In 
many respects the specimens from Cayuga Lake appear to be intermediate between 
reticnlatus and vcriniculaius. It is not very common. 

The Pickerel is common in ponds and streams of the Hudson Highlands, accord- 



356 SKVKNTII KF.rORT OF TIIF. FOKFST, FISH A.Mi (i.V.ME COMMISSIOX. 

ing to Dr. Mearns, and is taken in winter as well as summer. A specimen weighing 
3 ;-j pounds was caught in Poplopcn's Pond in 1882. It is abundant also in Kaaters- 
kiU Lake, of the Catskill Mountains. The U. S. l-'ish Commission obtained it in 
Hlack River, Iluntingtonville, N. Y., July 5. Examples were sent from Canan- 
daigua Lake, and young were obtained in Bronx River. 

The Pickerel is the largest of its group, reaching a length of 2 feet and a weight, 
occasionally, of J> pounds, though this is much abo\-e the average. 

Like the Pike, this is one of the t\-rants among fishes, a fierce and hungry 
marauder ; ;ind \-et it has been introduced b\' fishermen into man\- waters in which 
it is not native and has greatly multiplied. In the Potomac, the Connecticut, the 
Delaware and other large rivers the Pickerel abounds; it is to be found in large 
numbers lying in wait among the river grasses or in ponds under the shelter of leafy 
water plants for the minnows which it consumes in enormons numbers, or some 
unlucky insect, frog or snake which attracts its voracious appetite. 

Spawning takes place in the winter and early in the spring, and the young soon 
become solitary and wolfish like their elders. 

The fish obtained from Canandaigua Lake spawned in their tank in June, 1S97, 
and the ymmg were naturally hatched, but they died when about tlirce-fourths of 
an inch hmg for want i)f acceptable food. 

As a f()t)d fish ni>t much can be said in praise of the Chain Pickerel, though it is 
eaten and tloubtless liked by a good many people. The flesh is often coarse and 
watery and it is al\\a\-s full of small bones. This fish, however, furnishes consider- 
able sport to the angler, since it is a very free biter and fights with great boldness 
and stubbornness when hooked. It is caught by trolling with a spoon or still fish- 
ing with live shiners, ])ickerel frogs and many other baits. A minnow gang is often 
very effective in Pickerel fishing. The hooks must be tied on gimp as a protection 
for the line from the sharp teeth of the fish. 

This species is always hard to keep in good condition in capti\'ity, because of its 
liability to fungus attacks. The salt water treatment, however, keeps the fungus in 
check. 

75. Common Pike \ Lucius hniiis Linnaeus). 

Eso.x liiciiis Jordan & ("iII.heki, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 353, 1883. 
Esox luciits Bean, Fishes Penna., 91, pi. 29, fig. 56, 1893. 
Esox estor DeKav, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 222, 1842. 

The ground color of the body is grayish varying to bluish or greenish gray. The 
sides are thickly covered with pale blotches, none of them as large as the eye, 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 



557 



arranged nearly in rows. The dorsal, anal and caudal fins have many rounded, dark- 
spots. Adults without dark bar below eye. Naked part of opercle bounded by a 
whitish streak. In the young the sides are covered witli oblique yellowish bars, 
which afterward break up into the pale spots of the adult. 

Pike is the best known name for this species, though the misnomer " Pickerel " 
is rather extensively used. The origin of Pike is involved in uncertainty; some 
trace it to the resemblance in shape of the snout to the pike or spear, while others 
believe it to refer to the darting motion of the fish when speeding through the 
water. The name Pickerel is used in Vermont and around Lake George, N. Y. 
"Frank Forrester" (Herbert) styles it the Great Northern Pickerel. The name 
Jack is applied in Great Britain to young Pike. Brocliet is the French name, Hccht 
the German and Luccio the Italian designation of the species. In Prof. Cope's 
paper in earlier reports of the Pennsylvania Fish Commission the names Lake Pike 
and Grass Pike are used for the fish. 




COMMON PIKE. 



Disti-ibutiou. In the north temperate and arctic regions of North America, 
Europe and Asia the Pike is equally common. In North America it extends from 
Pennsylvania to higli northern latitudes. In Alaska Townsend and others found it 
in abundance in the Yukon. P^'om Greenland and the islands of the Arctic Ocean 
the Pike appears to be absent. The identity of our American Pike with the 
common one of Europe was recognized by Cuvier and Richardson more than half a 
century ago; the former compared specimens from Lake Huron with European 
examples, and Richardson with the Englisli Pike, and both were unable to find 
specific differences between the two. 

The Pike is said to be common in Lake Champlain and in all its larger tribu- 
taries. In the Lake Ontario region the \} . S. P"ish Commission collectors secured it 
at the following places : Mud Creek, Cape Vincent, N. Y., June 25, 1894, Chaumont 
River, July 10, outlet Long Pond, 4 miles west of Charlotte, N. Y., August 17. 

Dr. Meek found the species in Ca\-uga Lake, where, he says, he was unable to 
find any other fish of the genus except the Pickerel. James Annin, Jr., obtained 



35^ SKVKNPH UKI'ORT OF TIIK FOREST, FISH AM) OAME COMMISSION. 

the Pike in Silver Lake, Wyoming County, X. \'.. Jul\- i. 1896. He reports that it 
docs not occur in Canandaigua Lake. 

On the continent of Europe the largest recorded specimen was taken at 
Bregenty in 1862; this was said to weigh 145 pounds. In Scotland a Pike measur- 
ing more than 7 feet and weighing 72 pounds has been reported. We do not find 
monsters like these in America. "Frank Forrester " mentions individuals of 16 to 
17 pounds. Lake (leorgc, N. Y., is famous for its large Pike. Dr. P'rank Prcsbrey 
of Washington, U. C, caught one there in iSS(; weighing a little more than 16 
pounds, and more than 30 examples averaging in excess of 10 pounds each were 
taken that season by another Washington party in the same waters. Some of the 
largest Pike were upward of 4 feet long. The average length of adults is about 2 
feet. 

The fishing season generally begins June i and ends December i, but many of 
the States have no close season. Li Pennsylvania the close time lasts from Decem- 
ber I to June I. 

The Pike is a \'oracious fish and destroys evcr\'thing within its reach in the form 
of animal life; other fish, water birds and mammals are consumed in enormous 
numbers, h'rom its concealment, like a beast of pre\', it darts out sudden!}' on 
its \'ictims antl sekiom misses its mark. The Pike is even more destructive than 
the Pickerel, and two of the latter, measuring 5 inches in length, have been reported 
to eat more than 100 minnows in a day. Spawning takes place in winter and earl\- 
spring on shallows and frequent!}- on o\'erflowed meadows. The eggs are about 
one-eighth inch in diameter, and a female weighing 32 pounds was estimated by 
Buckland to contain 595,000. The }oung Pike has a very large yolk sac. The period 
of hatching \'aries. with the temperature of the water, from 14 to 30 days. The 
female is said to be larger than the male ; the fish breeds at the age of three years. 
At the age of one year the fish may reach a length of 12 inches, and if well 
supplieti with food it will increase in weight from 2 to 3 pounds yearly. 

The Pike is a fairly good food fish and forms an important element of the Lake 
Lrie fisheries. As a game fish the species is wide!\- known ; it can be readily caught 
by trolling or spinning or on lines set under the ice. Live minnows and frogs are 
favorite baits; and Dr. Henshall says it will rise to a large, gaudy fly. In Lake 
George the White Chub is one of the best known baits. 




> 

o 

z 


z 

< 

'/) 
u 



o 

z 

O 

< 

(P. 
< 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OE NEW YORK. 



)59 



76. Mascalonge ; Spotted Mascalonge {Lucius inasqiiinongy Mitchill). 

Esox masqiiiiwih^y Miilhii.l, AIirr<ir, 297, 1824, Lake Erie. 
Esox iwbilior Beax, Fishes Penna., 93, [il. 29, tig. 57, 1893. 

Lucius niasijuiiuvigy Joru.\n & Everii.'\nn, lUiU. 47, U. S. Nat. Mas., I, 629, 1896, 
pi. C, fig. 270, 1900. 

Tlic color i.s usually dark gray, sometimes immaculate as in the color variety 
immaculatus, but generally with numerous distinct, roundish, black spots about as 
large as buckshot. The dark spots are present only on the basal parts of the dorsal, 
anal and caudal fins. The lower parts are pale, the belly white. 

The name of this giant Pike is apparently derived from the language of the 
Ojibwa or the Cree Indians; it is variously spelled and its meaning is uncertain, 
though the roots, according to H. W. Henshaw, are probably mask- (ugly) and 
Iciiioitgc {^i\\). In the books it appears as Muscalonge, Muskellunge, Muskallunge 



^^^ 






Mascalonge and Maskinonge, all variations of the same term. Some writers style it 
the Great Pike, and by others it is confused with the common Pike, E. lucius. Prof. 
Cope mentions also the name Blue Pike. 

The Mascalonge is recorded by Prof. Cope from Conneaut Lake, Crawford 
County, Pa., the specimen measuring 17 inches in circumference behind the e}-es. 
It is found occasionally in the Ohio Valley. The species, however, is most abundant 
in the Great Lakes region. In Lake Erie favorite localities are Dunkirk and Barce- 
lona, N. Y., Erie, Pa., and Mills' Grove, O. The northern limit of the fish is not 
definitely fixed. 

It is asserted by some persons that the fish inhabits Cayuga Lake, but others 
deny this. Dr. Meek was unable to find it there after diligent search. It was 
known in Lake Champlain more than half a century ago and was described by Rev. 
Zadock Thompson. Mitchill and Kirtland had it from Lake Erie. DeKay con- 
founded the Mascalonge with the Pike, and apparently had no example of the 
former. In the St. Lawrence River the species is well known. 



360 SEVENTH KKroKT OF THE FOREST, FISH AND CAME COMMISSION'. 

It is recorded that in 1S65 Mr. Schultz caught a Mascalonge at Milwaukee 
weighing 100 pounds. In 1864 Fred. Alvord dechired that lie had an 85-pound 
specimen in Maumcc Bay. The average length of the species is about 3 feet, and 
there is reason to believe that a length of 8 feet is sometimes reached. lndi\-iduals 
weighing 50 pounds are moderately common. With the exception of the Lake 
Trout and some of the Salmon, this is undoubtedly the largest game fish in the 
United States. 

The fish seem not to be gregarious, but occur usually in pairs. Their food 
consists mainly of smaller fishes, and their voracity is notorious. In the spawning 
season, in small rivers falling into Lake Simcoe, Richardson states that they feed 
on small fishes and on gelatinous green balls which grow on the sides of banks 
unc^er the water. 

This is an excellent food fish, but not common enough to have much commercial 
importance. As a game fish it has few superiors. The spoon bait is very effective 
in the capture of ^fascalonge, and li\e fishes are extensively used. A correspondent 
of Land and Water describes a singular and successful lure made from a young 
brown calf's tail, through the center of which the shank of the hook was passed and 
fastened to a swivel. 

77. Northern Mascalonge < Lucius iunuaculatus Garrard). 

Body unspotted, or with \'ague, dark, cross shades : tail a little more slender and 
fins a little higher than in the Spotted or I,ake Mascalonge. 

Lakes and rivers of Wisconsin and Minnesota, locally abundant. This is 
probably not distinct from the ]^Iascalonge of Chautauqua Lake. 

78. Unspotted Mascalonge; Barred Mascalonge \Lucius oliicnsis KirtlandV 
Lucius liuius inimaculatiis Bean, by error. UuU. Am, Mas. Nat. Hist., IX, 353, 1S97. 

Examples of Unspotted Mascalonge were recei\ed at the New York aquarium 
from Chautauqua Lake, N. V., which belongs to the Ohio Ri\-er drainage system. 
It appears that the typical spotted form also inhabits the Ohio basin, but occurs 
rarely. Mr. Annin sent one individual December 4, 189;, and two on I\Iay 4, 1896. 

In all the specimens the maxilla extends to below the front edge of the pupil. 
The gill rakers are mere clumps of spiny tubercles. In the two males the diameter 
of the eye is contained from four and one-third to five times in the length of the 
snout, and from 10 to n times in the length of the head. 



THE FOOD AND (iA.ME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 361 

In the iiitlividual of December 4, 1895, the hitcral line tul)es are distributed over 
various parts of the sides without much regularity except in tlie median Une. 
There are no black spots. About 20 entire, blotch-like, irregular cross bands and 
several parts of bands and blotches intervening. The lower third of the pectoral is 
pink. The dorsal, caudal and anal with dark blotches making pscudo bands. 
Iris lemon yellow overlying silvery white. The general color is olive green with 
golden tints. 

The two males of May 4, 1896, furnished the following notes: 

Olive green tinged with golden bronze; sides with about twenty irregular dusky 
blotches resembling interruiited bands; dorsal, caudal and anal with numerous 
large dusky blotches, those on dorsal and anal almost forming bands ; iris lemon 
yellow and silvery in the larger, almost vermilion and orange in the smaller; a 
dark blotch at upper edge of opercle. ' 

The Chautauqua Lake Mascalonge, according to James Annin, Jr., who sent the 
specimens, is a very fine food and game fish, and attains to the weight of 50 pounds. 
In the spring of 1895 it was not unusual to capture individuals weighing from 40 to 
50 pounds, and 20 to 30 pounds was a very common weight. In winter the fish 
frequent nearly the same localities as in summer, being found in the vicinity of 
water plants. When the lake becomes very clear in February they go into deep 
water, but they live in deep water more or less all the year. 

For the fish culture operations the nets are set as soon after the first of April as 
the ice leaves the lake. The fish begin to spawn a few days after and continue till 
the latter part of April. They go into shallower water for spawning ; most of them 
spawn in from 10 to 15 feet of water. Tliey do not resort to the gravel like many 
other fish, but to mud, generally going into bays. The eggs are placed in boxes, all 
of which are provided with screens at top and bottom. The bottom has an extra 
screen to prevent minnows from injuring the eggs. The boxes are sunk from i foot 
to 2 feet under the surface of the water. Every day or two they are drawn up, the 
covers removed, and all bad eggs and sediment cleaned out. 

During the first experiments in Chautauqua Like, N. Y., Monroe Green and 
Jonathan Mason obtained the eggs in April and May, 1890, and these were arti- 
ficially hatched. A large female yielded 6o,000 eggs. With the water at the tem- 
perature of 40" to 46° very few of the eggs were developed, but when it neared 
60°, in May, better results were secured. On May 27 75,000 young fish were planted 
in the lake. The eggs were hatched in a box suspended about 4 feet from the 
bottom in 18 feet of water. 



362 SEVKNTH KKl'OKT OK THE l-OKEST, FISH AN!J CiAME COMMISSION. 

79. Silversides ; Friar; Whitebait (Miiiidia )iotata Mitchill). 

Athciiiia lu'tcita M ri'ciiii.i,, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y., I, 446, 1815; DeKay, N. Y. 

Fauna, Fislu-s, 141, ]il. 28, fig. 88, 1842, New York. 
Athcrina virii/cst-riis Ml rcmi.L, oj). cit., 447, 1815, X. Y. 
Chirostoma notatiim Goope & I!ka,n, liull. Esse.x Inst., XI, 21, 1879. 
Atherina mcitidia HeKay, oji. cit., 142, pi. 74, fig. 236, 1842, N. Y., not of Linn.€US. 
Menidia in'tahi Hk.vx. Pnill. U. S. F. ('., Yll, 146. 1888 ; 19th Rept. Commrs. Fish. N. 

Y., 271, 1890. 

Translucent green ; lateral band .silvery, mostl\' on the level of the e\-e, its width 
less than one-half the diameter of eye. Scales of upper parts witli dark dots along 
their edges; chin speckled. 

The Common Silversides grows to a length of 6 inches. 

The Silversides was first made known by Dr. Mitchill under the name of Small 
Silvcrside, Athcrina iiotata, and he described the young of the same species as the 




SILVERSIDES. 

Groen-Sided Silverside, Atlicrina viridcsccns. Dr. DeKay states that the Silversides 
was known in the harbor of New York as the Anchovy and the Sand Smelt. Friar 
is a New England name for the species ; Capelin is in use about Boston, and Merit 
fish in the vicinity of Watch Hill. Sperling is a name recently apj^lied to this 
species by some fishermen, and we have known persons to offer the -Silversides as 
Whitebait. In Great South Bay it is known as Shiner. 

The .Sihersides is known to occur on the coast from Maine to \'irginia. It is 
one of the most abundant of the small fishes in our waters, swimming in immense 
schools made up of fish of different sizes, aiul it forms a considerable part of the 
food of more valuable species, such as the Mackerel, Bluefish, Weakfish and 
I-"lounders, and is very much in demand as a bait for hook and line fishing. We 
seined the Silversides in all parts of Great South Bay, and found it to be one of the 
most abundant and characteristic species. 

The Common .Silversides, or Spearing, li\es in Gravesend Ba)- almost all the 
year, hibernating in spring holes in winter. It is well suited for a captive life and 
can endure a temperature of /i jj' in the salt water. 



THE FOOD AND GAMF. FLSHES OF NEW YORK. 



?63 



In 1898 the species was found for the State Museum at all Long Island localities 
visited, Peconic Bay, Mecox Bay, the ocean at Southampton, and throughout Great 
South Bay. Small individuals are sold in the markets as Whitebait. In the time 
of DeKay the fish was called Anchovy and Sand Smelt and was esteemed a savory 
food. Twent)- years before he wrote of the fishes of New York, it was caught from 
the wharves and sold for bait. 



80. Striped Mullet iMngi! ccphalus Linnaius). 

Miigil crphaliis Bkax, s.hI Ann. Rei.t. N. Y. State Mus., 103, 1900. 

Ml/oil a//>it/a Be.an, 19th Rept. Commrs. Fish. N. Y., 272, pi. XXI, fig. 26, 1890. 

Afi/gi/ UiH-atiis DkK.w, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 144, pi. 15, fig. 42, 1842, New York. 

Color, darkish blue above; the sides silvery: exposed part of scales, especially of 
eight or ten upper series, darker than body color, causing a striped appearance 




SI RIPED MULLET. 



belly and lower part of sides yellowish ; ventral fins yellowish ; soft dorsal, anal and 
ventrals dusky ; tip and base of pectoral dusky. 

The Striped Mullet grows to the length of 2 feet, but the average size in New 
York waters is much less. 

The fish is known in Great South \\a\ as Mullet and Jumping Mullet; the name 
Mullet is applied to it also in the Gulf of Mexico, and is in general use along the 
east coast; it is known in the Chesapeake as Mullet or Fatback. The latter name is 
probably applied to more than one species. 

The Striped Mullet is known on our coast from Cape Cod to the Gulf of Mexico. 
The young are much more abundant than the adults. In Great South Bay we 
found the species not uncommon ; two examples were taken at the mouth of Swan 
Creek, September 12. Several schools were present. We were informed that they 
appear occasionally, and one gentleman of Patchogue was very successful in taking 
this and its allied species with hook and line. DeKay states that the Striped Mullet 



364 SKVKXTII REI'OKT OF THE FOREST, FISH AM) GAME COMMISSION. 

was first ohscr\cil in New York waters by Dr. Mitciiiil. He found them in tlie 
market in the beginning of September. This species is one of our clioice food 
fishes. It is not uncommon in September in Great Egg Harbor Bay, N. J., but we 
arc informed that large specimens are never taken in that body of water. 

In 1898 the Striped Mullet was not abundant in the waters seined till fall ; the 
great schools were absent till October. Several indi\iduals were obtained in Meco.v 
Bay, August 2, and a larger number in Clam Pond Cove, Great South Bay. 
August 22. 

The young of this species are abundant in Gravesend Bay in midsummer; larger 
ones appear in September and October. One winter, some years ago, Mullet hiber- 
nated in the mutl in Sheepshead Bay and were taken with eel spears. The Mullets 
feed and thrive most of the year in capti\-ity, but will not survive the intense heat 
of summer. In the aquarium their food includes hard clam and shrimp. 

In 1S83 Jorilan & Gilbert established a genus QiicriuuDia for "little mullets with 
but two spines in the anal fin and with the teeth in the jaws less ciliiform than in 
jSliigil ; adipose eyelid wanting; preorbital serrate."' The genus was based on 
Myxns harctigiis of (ilinther. Oucrintaiia is nothing more than the \-oung of MugiL 
The only good character by which it was distinguishetl is the presence of two anal 
spines instead of three; in all other respects Qitcriinana and Mugil agree perfectly. 
As a matter of fact, all _\'oung Miigi/s pass through a Oncriinaiia stage in which only 
two of the three anal spines are developed, the adipose eyelid is rudimentary, and 
the teeth are comparatively stouter than in the adult. The third anal spine of 
Mugil is really a simple articulated ray till the fish reaches a length varying from 
about 40 mm. to 50 mm. The first simple ra)- of the anal becomes a spine by the 
breaking off at an articulation, the subsequent sharpening of the point, and the 
deposit of hard material in the articulations, thus forming a somewhat slender, but 
perfect spine. 

This fact of development was carefulh- studicil in large scries of specimens in the 
U. S. National Museum, and it is both interesting and important from the fish cul- 
tural as well as the systematic standpoint. In Mugil ccpltalus one example, 41 mm. 
long, shows the third anal spine very plainly ; it is well developed and has a sharp 
point, but several articulations still remain. Otlier e.xamples of equal length have 
the first simple anal ray scarcely developed into a spine, and in still others this ray 
does not take on the character of a spine at all. Qiicriiuaua liarcugus, the type of 
the genus, is the young of Mugil curriiin, and 0. gyrciiis is the immature Mugil 
iricliodon. A re-examination of the types of Oucriinana gyraiis shows the presence 
of 33 rows of scales in some e.xamples instead of 29. 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 



365 



81. White Mullet Ufiigil cnrciua Cuv. & Val.). 

yl/z/i,--// ciircma P,f.ax, liull, U. S. F. C, VII, 145, 1S88 ; 19th Kept. Commrs. Fish. N. 

Y., 272, pi. XXI, fig. 26, 1890. 
Mti^il curciiia Be.a.n, S2d Ann. Rept. N. Y. State Mus., 103, 1900. 
Miiiril pi-trosiis Df.K.^v. N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 147, 1842. 

Color silvery, bluish above; no dusky streaks along the sides in life, but faint 
streaks are evident after preservation in spirits ; a small dark blotch at base of 
pectoral ; caudal pale, yellowish at base, dusky at tip ; anal and ventrals yellowish ; 
two yellow blotciies on side of head. 

The White Mullet reaches the length of i foot. On the Atlantic coast it ranges 
from Cape Cod to Brazil ; in the Pacific it is recorded from California to Chili. It 
is a very important food fish. 




>'■ 



WHITE MULLET. 



The White Mullet appears with tlic striped species, but is less abundant in 
Gravesend Bay and is smaller in size. The young were taken in Great South Bay 
in August, 1898, and half-grown individuals were abundant in September and 
October. Adults were scarce. 

Dr. Mitchill calls this the Summer Mullet. He records a specimen that weighed 
zYi pounds, the heaviest coming under his observation. DeKay found the species 
in New York markets in July and August. 



82. Common Mackerel {Scomber stombrus Linnaeus). 

Scomber scoinbnis Jordan & Gilbert, Bull. 16, U. .S. Nat. Mus., 424, 1883. 
Scomber scombnis Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., I, 865, i8g6, pi. 
CXXXIII, fig. 363, 1900. 

Color dark blue, or greenish blue above, the upper parts with 30 or more wavy 
transverse bands of a darker hue, these extending below the lateral line and nearly 
to the median line of the body ; beneath the ends of these lines and slightly sepa- 



366 



SEVENTH KEIHJRT OF THE FORES I, ITSll ANH (lAME COMMISSION'. 



rated from tlicm is a narrow, longitudinal, dark streak running almost the entire dis- 
tance from the pectoral to the caudal ; top of the head very dark ; a dark blotch in 
the axil of the pectoral ; gill covers and jaws silvery ; sides white with cupreous 
reflections ; belly wiiite. 

The Mackerel is one of the best known food fishes of the North Atlantic, ranging 
from Norway to S]iain in Europe and from Labrador to Cape Hatteras in North 
America. It reaches the length of i8 inches. The fish is migratory and frequently 
disappears for a short or long period of time from its accustomed localities. On the 
New York coast the Mackerel appears in May and June in great schools, but the 
number varies greatly in different years. 

Two young, 3^ to 5^ inches long, were taken in Gravescnd Bay, L. I., May 23, 
1896, in John H. DeNyse's shad f\-ke. No more were seen, and tliese were the first 
of the year. They come about the time of the aj^pcarance of Anchovy and Weak- 




COMMON MACKEREL. 

fish. They are often seen swimming at the surface of the bay in small bunches of 
18 or 20, occasionally 100, in the latter part of Ma}- or early in June. They are 
always split up into small bunches, probably by the attacks of W'eakfish and other 
predaceous species which are present at the time. Flukes attack them also in 
shallow water. 



83. Chub Mackerel ; Thimble-Eye Mackerel [Scomlu-r colias Gmelin). 

Scomber colias DkKav, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 104, ]ii. 11, fig. n, 1842. 

Scomber colias Jordan & Evermanx, Bull. 47, U. .'^. Nat. Mus., I, 866, 1896, pi. 

CXXXIII, fig. 364, 1900. 
Scomber colias Bean, lUili. .\ni. Mus. Nat. Hist.. I.X, 360, 1897. 

Colors essentially the same as in Scomber scoDibriis. the wa\'y transverse bands 
about 30 in number; sides mottled with small dusk\- blotches below the median 
line ; about 20 black specks on base of prcopercle, usually arranged in more than one 
series ; belly and sides silvery : a black blotch in axil of pectoral. 



THE FOOD AND CAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 



^67 



The Chub Mackerel is found in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, north to Eng- 
land and Maine and to San Francisco ; very common in the Mediterranean and in 
Southern Cahfornia; sometimes abundant on our eastern coast and frequently 
absent for long periods. It reaches the length of 14 inches, and is an important 
food fish. 

• July 25, 1887, the schooner Peter Cooper caught 6,000 Thimble-eye Mackerel off 
Manasquan, N. J. About 50,000 Mackerel were taken by the Menhaden steamer 
A. Morris near Ocean City, Jidy 19, 18S7. Some of these were preserved in brine 
by W. B. Steelman, and I found them to be J), co/ias. 

The Thimble-ej-es usually arrive in August. In 1886 they were often caught. 
This species was not fount! in large numbers in Gravesend Ba_\- in 1897, but in 1896 
it abounded in all the little creeks, and in some instances the fish could be dipped 
up by boat loads with scoop nets. The fish reached 10 inches in length before 
the end of the summer. 



^,^<^^^nW^7^^PTr*r^ 




CHUB MACKERPIL. 



84. Tunny; Horse Mackerel {17iiiiniiis thyinius Linncieus). 

Thyiiniis riih^aiis DeKav, N. V. Fauna, Fishes, 105, pi. 10, fig. 28, i842,-after Storer. 
Orcyiuis thyiiiiiis Jordan & (Iilbert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 429, 1883. 
ThtiiiiiKs thyiiiiiis JoRD.AN & EvERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., I, 870, 1896. 

Color dark blue above; grayish below with silvery spots ; pupil black, iris golden 
with greenish reflections ; rays of spinous dorsal dusky, the connecting membrane 
nearly black, second dorsal reddish brown ; pectorals silver gray ; ventrals black 
above, white beneath ; dorsal and anal finlets bright yellow, dark at base and on 
anterior edge ; gill covers silvery gray. 

The Tunny is the largest fish of the Mackerel family, reaching a length of lo 
feet or more. It is pelagic, but comes to all warm coasts, northward to England, 
Newfoundland, San Francisco, and Japan. In our waters it appears usually in 
summer and is often taken in rather large numbers off Block Island, and on Cape 



368 SEVENTH REPORT OF THE FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. 



Cod and Cape Ann. On account of its enormous size and great strength, it is often 
destructive to tlie fishermen's nets. 

Dr. Storcr says it comes into Massachusetts Bay about the middle of June and 
remains till early in October. It was not uncommon to observe 50 or more in a day 
at Provincetown. It feeds on Menhaden, Mackerel, Whiting, Dogfish and other 
small fishes. The usual implement of capture at first was the harpoon, but. now 
that its flesh has become valuable for canning and when marketed fresh, it is taken 
in pound nets and by line fishing. The fish arrives on the coast in poor condition 
and without \'aliie, but becomes very fat during tlie summer months, and is then 
utilized for the oil, which is obtained from the head and belly by boiling, and 
for its flesh, which is favorably regarded, either fresh, salted or preserved in cans. 

The Tunny is said to spawn in June, and the recently hatched young, according 
to Yarrell, weigh i^j ounces, growing to 4 ounces by August and 30 ounces in 
October. Adults often weigh 1,000 pounds. The Killer Whale is the most dreaded 
enemy of the Tunn}-. 

A. 




In Southern California this fish is highly prized by anglers who are fond of big 
game and hard play. In the Bay of Chaleur and off Caraquette, in the Gulf of 
St. Lawrence region, 100 Tunny were captured by means of baited lines, and the 
fishing was considered exciting because the fish pulled with such violence as to 
endanger the lives of the fishermen by dragging them overboard. This kind of 
exercise miglit be had near Rockport, Mass., or off the New Jersey coast annually 
in summer. 

85. Bonito I Stirt/ij sarda Bloch). 

Pchiiiiys sarJii Df.Kav, X. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 106, pi. 9, fig. 27, 1S42. 

Sarda sarda Bean, Bull. U. S. F. C, VII, 138, 1888 ; Jord.vx i^e FZvkr.manx, Bull. 47, U. 
S. Nat. Mus., I, 872, 1896 ; Beax, Bull. Am. Mus. \at. Hist., IX, 360, 1897, Graves- 
end Bay. 

Color steel blue above, the sides silvery, the abdomen and under surface of head 
silvery white ; from 10 to 20 dark bluish, narrow bands obliquely downward and for- 



THE FOOD AM) GAMK FISIIKS OF NEW YORK. 



569 



ward from the back, some of them ahiiost reachintj the bell)- ; iris yellowish ; first 
dorsal fin sometimes pale, sometimes nearly black ; pectoral dark above, li|^ht 
beneath. 

The Bonito inhabits the Atlantic Ocean on both coasts and is common in the 
Mediterranean. On mir coast it ranges habitually north to Cape Ann. It reaches 
the length of 30 inches anti the weigiit of 10 or 12 pounds. Though not generally 
esteemed as a fo(_>d fish, it meets with a steady sale either fresh or salted like the 
Mackerel. The fish is believed to live in the open sea, coming to the sliores only to 
feed or to deposit its eggs. It is predaceous and active, feeding insatiably on 
Mackerel and Menhaden ; it takes trolling bait as freely as the Bluefish, to which it 
is not inferior in quality of flesh. 

The fisli is generally scarce in Gravesend Bay. Five were taken in one day in a 
pound net in October, iHg", an unusual number for that species. The Bonito will 
not live in captivity. 





86. Spanish Mackerel [Sroiulhroi/ionis inacnlatits Mitchill). 



Cyhitiin iiiaciilatiiin DkKav, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, loS, pi. 73, lljj;. 232, 1S42, N. Y. 

Sconibcroinonix niaciilatiis Jordan i\: (".ilbert, T.idl. 16, U. .S. Nat. Mus., 426, 1S83 , 
Bean, Bull. U. S. F. C, YII, 13S ; 19th Kept. N. Y. Comm. Fish., 254, \)\. YII, 
fig. 9, 1890 ; Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., I, 874, 1896, pi. 
CXXXIY, fig. 368, 1900. 

Color silvery ; upper parts bluish ; sides with numerous oblong spots of a dull 
orange, none of them more than one-third as long as the snout, these spots fully as 
numerous above the lateral line as below it ; the membrane connecting the first 
eight spines of the dorsal black, the rest of the fin white; soft dorsal with a yellow- 
ish tinge, its margin dark ; anal and ventral white; pectoral black inside, yellowish 
with dark borders outside and covered with dusky points; caudal dusky except at 
base. 

The Spanish Mackerel inhabits the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of North America, 
24 



370 SKVKNTII RKPORT OF TlIK FORKST, KISII AM) CAMK ( (IM M ISSIOX. 

on our coast rans^inj^ north to Maine and soiitli to Brazil. It is one of tlic choicest 
of our food fishes anil ^rows to the length of 3 feet and the \\-eiL;ht of 10 jjounds. 
The species spawns on the I-ont; Island coast in August or earlier. The eggs arc 
ver\- small, about one tweiUN'-hfth of an inch in di.mieter, and the\- float in salt 
water. The rate of growth is unknown, as the young are seldom or never seen by 
persons who know the fish. The .SiJanish Mackerel is caught chiefl)- in pound nets. 
It is recorded that the species lias been obtained off the coast of Maine b\- Capt. 
7\twood. Mitchill describes the species without making an_\- remark on its abun- 
dance or scarcit}-, and states that it conies in July. In 1S34 the species had very little 
importance in the New York market, but at the present time it is one of the most 
highly prized fishes and is obtained in large numbers. .Spanish M.ickerel have been 
sparingl}- caught by trolling off Fire Island Inlet. We diil not obtain the species in 




SPANISH MACKKREL. 

Great South Baj-, but Erastus (lordon, of Tatchogue, informed us that it is obtained 
in moderate numbers. In 18S4 the fish was not plentiful and the a\'erage price was 
about $1 each. They appear in New York waters in July antl usualh- leave in 
September. The spawning season at Long Island begins late in August and con- 
tinues about a month. The .Spanish Mackerel congregate in enormous schools. 
Mr. Karll records the appearance of a school off Long Island w hich was cstimateil 
to contain several million intlividuals. The fish are taken princi[)all)' in traps- a few 
are caught by trolling, but this is an unsatisfactory method of capture. 

87. Cero iSioiiibcroiiioriis r<g(ilis Bloch). 



Scomhdomonis legalis Jordan iV Gii.HiRr, Hull. 16, L'. S. Xat. Mus., 426, 1S83 ; Jor- 
dan iS: EviiRMANN, ]5ull. 47, Lf. .S. Nat. .Mus., 1, 875, 1896, ])1. CX.XXV, fig. 369. 
1900. 

Color silvery; a narrow longitudinal stripe of brownish or bronze beginning 
behind the pectoral and running to base of caudal : numerous oblong brownish 



TIIK FOOD AND CAMK K I S 1 1 K S OK NKW YORK. 



371 



spots mostly below this stri[)c, none of ihcin more than oiu.'-half the diameter of 
eye ; upper anterior pail of spinous dorsal black, the rest of the fin white. 

The Spotted Cerci is found from Cape foil to Brazil, Init is not common north- 
ward ; it is abund.mt in the West Indies. The species <jrows io the length of 5 
feet and the weight of jo pounds ; it is a fish of the same good cpialities as the 
Spanish Mackerel and is readily caught by trolling. 







88. Kingfish ; Sierra iScci/iln-roiiionis cavalla Cuvicr). 

Scombn-oiimnii iahalla Jordan \- ( In, 1:1:1; r, ISull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 427, 1S83 ; 
Jordan lS: Kvkr.mann, bull. 47, V . .S. Nat. Mus., S75, 1.S96. 

Color grayish silvery, the sides sometimes with dark spots, or yellowish in the 
young; spinous dorsal blacldsh above, or without dark blotch. 




KINOFISH. 



The Kingfish, or Cavalla, is a very important and valuable food fish of the troiii- 
cal Atlantic, coming in immense numbers to the ]""lorida Keys, the West Indies, and 
north to Charleston, occasionally, in summer, to Cape Cod. .Southward it e.xtends 
to Africa and Brazil, frequenting the open seas. In liabits it resembles the Spanish 
Mackerel; it is caught by trolling, and at Key W'est it is so abundant that two 
men in a small sailboat sometimes catch more than 100 in a day. The flesh is excel- 
lent, either fresh or smoked. • 



372 .SK.VKNTll REroKT OF TIIIC lOREST, IISII AND GAME COMMISSION. 

89. Svvordfish (A'ip/iins g/adins Linnaeus). 

Xip/iias g/adius Df.Kav, X. V. l-'auna, Fishes, III, pi. 26, fig. 79, 1842; Jord.w & CiiL- 
liEKT, I5ull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 420, 18S3; Jouu.-iN & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. 
Nat. Mus., I, 894, 1896. 

Color above rich purplish blue, shading into whitish beneath, the sides and belly 
with a silvery lustre. Fins, dark bluish with silvery sheen, except dorsal. Top of 
head rich pur])lish blue, the color extending upon the rostrum. Lower side of ros- 
trum rich brownish purple. Eye deep blue. 




SWORDFISH— ADULT. 

The Swordfish inhabits the Atlantic and comes near both coasts ; it is most 
abundant between Cuba and Cape Hreton, rather common in the Alediterranean, 
and is occasionally taken off .Southern California. The fish appear in the vicinity 
of Sandy Hook about June first, and the fishing season continues as far east as 
Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Shoals till about the middle of September. 




swoun) isH — •iouNG 

They disappear to the southward as soon as the cold winds begin to blow. They 
feed on Mackerel, Menhaden and Squid. They are often caught on trawl lines, but 
the chief means of capture is the harpoon. 

The average length of Swordfish is 10 feet, but individuals measuring 16 feet are 
on record. An individual weighing 730 pounds was killed in 1874 off Portland. 

The flesh of this fish is very palatable, and the fishery is an important one as well 
as an exciting occupation. 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 



2>7o 



Young Swordfish liave tlie skin covered with small, rougli excrescences, the jaws 
much more nearly equal, and the dorsal and anal fins not divided into two separate 
parts. 

90. Yellow Mackerel {Cdrnux hippos Linneeus). 

Scombi-r Iiippos LiXN-t;us, Syst. Nat. ed., XII, 1, 494, 1766, Charleston, South Carolina. 
Caraiix cara/igus Cuvikr & Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss., IX, 91, 1S33 ; GiJNTHER, 

Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus., II, 448, i860. 
Caraiix defensor DkK.w, N. V. Fauna, Fishes, 120, pi. 24, fig. 72, 1842 ; Holbrook, 

Ichth. S. C., 87, 111. 12, fig. I, i860. 
Caraiii^^iis Iiif'pos (_;ii,i., I'roc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila., 433, 1862 ; Goode & Bean, Bull. 

Essex Inst., XI, 16, 1879. 
Caraiix hippiis Jorijan & Gilbek r, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 437, 1883 ; Proc. U. S. 

Nat. Mus., 200, 1883. 
Caranx hippos Bean, Bull. U.S. F. C.,VII, 139, t888; B\dl. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., IX, 

362, 1897 ; 52d Ann. Rept. N. Y. State Mus., 103, 1900 ; Jordan & Evermann, 

Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 920, 1896, pi. CXLI, fig. 387, 1900 ; Mearns, Bull. Am. 

Mus. Nat. Hist., X, 318, 1898 ; Smith, Bull. U. S. F. C, XVII, 98, 1898. 




YELLOW mackerel. 

Body oblong, the anterior profile very strongly arched. The depth is contained 
two and one-half times in the length. Head large and deep, its length being 
contained three and one-half times in that of the body; mouth large, low ; lower 
jaw prominent, maxillary extending to nearly opposite posterior border of eye, two 
and one-third in head ; teeth in upper jaw in a broad villiform band, an outer 
series of large, wide-set, conical teeth, teeth of lower jaw in one row, a distinct 
canine on each side of symphysis; villiform teeth on vomer, palatines, pterygoids, 
and tongue ; lateral line with a wide arch, its length one and one-third in straight 
part, the angle under fifth dorsal ray, plates not covering all of the straight part, 



374 SEVENTH REPOKr OK IIIK KORKST, I-'ISII AND GAME COMMISSION, 

lateral line (scutes) about 30; dorsal spines short, rather stout; gill rakers stout, 
rather loni,', 15 below angle; occipital keel sharp; eye not very large; pectoral 
falcate, one-fifth longer than head; breast naked or with only a small triangular 
patch of scales in front of ventrals; caudal lobes equal, nearly as long as head. 
D.VIII-I, 20; A. II-I, 17. 

Olivaceous above, sides and below golden ; a large, distinct black blotch on 
opercle, bordered behind with pale ; a large fair.t black spot on lower rays of pec- 
torals, the latter sometimes wanting in young ; axil of pectoral with a black 
blotch ; edge of soft dorsal black; upper edge of cauilal peduncle dusky. 

The Yellow Alackercl is a widely distributed fish in warni seas; it is recorded 
from the East Indies, both coasts of tropical America, and northward to Cape Ann 
and the Gulf of California. The young are common at Woods Hole, Mass., where 
they appear in July and become most abundant in October. Individuals i inch 
long have been obtained there about July i ; larger fish occur in the fall. In 
August, 1898, only a few young ones were secured in Great South Bay and at South- 
ampton, L. I. 

The fish probably spawns in West Florida in May in the salt water bayous, as 
the young fish are seen coming out of such places in schools in the fall on their way 
to the sea. Fish weighing about a pound or two are considered equal to Pompano 
for the table, but large fish are not esteemed, the flesh being dark and almost taste- 
less. The species reaches the weight of 20 pounds. 

The Yellow Mackerel resembles the Big-eyed Scad in its endurance of captivity 
and its feeding habits. At the end of November it has been known to thrive in a 
pool containing about 50,000 gallons of water in company with the Crevalle, the Big- 
eyed Scad and other species. 

91. Crevall^ iCunn/.v rn'sus Mitchilh. 

Scomber crysos Mitchili., Trans. Lit. & Phil. .Soc. N. Y., I, 424, 1S15, New York. 
Caranx chrysiis ]o\!.\^\-!i & ('.n.REr<T, Bull. 16, U.S. Nat. Mas., 970, 1883; Be.\n, 19th 

Rept. N. Y. Com. I'Msli., 256, jil. ^'II, fig. 10, 1890. 
Caranx crysos DkK.w, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 121, pi. 27, fig. 85, 1842; Jordan & Ever- 

MANX, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 921, 1896, j)!. CXLII, fig. 388, 1900; Bean, Bull. 

.\m. Mus. Nat. Hist,, L\, 362, 1S97; S.mith, Bull. U. S. F. C, X^T^, 98, 1898. 

Greenish olive, golden yellow or silvery below ; a black blotch on opercle ; fins 
all pale. An individual 3'j inches long, taken at Beesley's Point, N. J., August 11, 
1887, showed the folhnving colors: Caudal _\-ellow ; basal half of elevated part of 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 



>75 



anal yellow ; checks and lower half of sides also yellow : a black opercular spot, but 
none on pectoral; several narrow pale bars on sides; tip of elevated part of soft 
dorsal dusky ; membrane between dorsal spines dusky ; iris copper color. 

The Crevalle is found on the east coast from Nova Scotia southward, ranging to 
the West Indies and Brazil. The young are very common along the coast of 
Southern New England in summer. DeKay calls it the Yellow Caranx, and Mitchill 
mentions it as the Yellow Mackerel. The specimens seen by both these authors 
came from the Bay of New York. 

At Woods Hole, Mass., the young arrive in July and leave in October. In 
Great Egg Harbor Bay, N. J., young individuals were taken sparingly in August. 
DeKay records the species as abundant in New York Bay in September and 
October. The writer saw several examples from a fish trap at Islip, L. I., October 
I, 1890. 





Young Crevalle make a croaking sound when captured in a net or held in the 
hand. 

On the Gulf coast of Florida, Alabama and Mississippi the fish is migratory, just 
as it is here ; it makes its appearance in April, spawns in July or August, and then 
disappears and is replaced by the young. It feeds on small fish, which it pursues 
eagerly, and is preyed on by sharks and porpoises. 

It grows to the length of 15 inches and is highly prized for food. 

The Crevalle can be successfully kept in captivity in large pools with a tempera- 
ture above 50° in winter. The fish occasionally school together under a large shark 
and follow it about. 



3/6 SKVEXTII KEl'OKT OK THt: FORKST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. 

92. Common Pompano i 'Jriu/iiiio/iis iaro/nnts LinnKus). 

Lidiia caipliiia Dk.Kav, X. Y. Fauna, Fislics, 114, j)!. 10, fig. 30, 1842, off Sandy Hook. 
7'iac/iyiiotiis caro/iiiiis ]0'R\3\y. & flii.r.i-.KT, Hull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 442, 1883. 
Trachyiiotiis carolinus Bean, Bull. U. S. F. C, VII, 140, 1888 ; 19th Rept. N. Y. Comm. 

Fish., 254, pi. VIII, fig. II, 1890. 
Trachinotus carolinus Bean, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., IX, 363, 1897, 52d Ann. Rept. 

N. V. State IMus., 104, 1900. 

Uniform bluisli above, sides silver)-, ^roklen in the adult, without bands, fins plain 
silvery or dusk}'. 

This fish lias no other name on our cast coast except the southern variation of 
I'ompeynose. In (ireat .South Ba\- the name Butter fish is applied to it because 
it is confounded with the Poronotus Iriacanthtis, to which the name properly 




COMMON I'OMPANO. 

belonr^s. Mitchill described it under the name Thornbacked Grunt, a name not now 
in use. 

The I'ompano rant^es on our coast from Cape Cod to Florida, the adults rarely 
or never coming into northern waters, but the n'ouiil; are taken in variable numbers 
every year. At Woods Hole they sometimes occur in considerable numbers, and 
they have been taken in great abundance in Great Egg Harbor Bay, but not recently. 
In Great .South Bay, in 1890, only a single young individual was secured at Oak 
Island Beach on tlie last da_\- of September. It occurs occasionally also on the 
Pacific coast. Dr. DeKaj-, in 1842, mentioned it as an exceedingly rare species on 
the New York coast. His description was based on a specimen taken off Sandy 
Hook more than 20 years before. In 1 S9S young specimens were found in moderate 
numbers at Oak Island Beach, Great South Bay, .September 14, and on the east side 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 3/7 

of Fire Island Beach September i6. The young are summer and fall visitors in 
Gravesend Bay. Twenty-two individuals were placed in a tank in August, 1897, and 
grew rapidly till the temperature of the water fell below 60° F. in November. Dur- 
ing this month all of them died. 

The species reaches the length of 20 inches. It is one of the finest of our food 
fishes. 

93. Bluefish ; Snap Mackerel ; Snapper {Poinatoinus saltatrix Linna;us). 

Scomber pliimheus Mitchili., Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y., I, 424, pi. IV, fig. i, 1815. 
Temnodon saltator DeKay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 130, pi. 26, fig. 81, 1842. 
Poniatoiiiiis saltatrix Jordan & Gilbkki', Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 914, 1883. 
PomatoiiiKS saltatrix Be ax, Bull. U. .S. F, C, VH, 1888 ; 19th Rept. N. Y. Comm. Fish., 

269, pi. XX, fig. 24, 1890 ; Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., IX, 363, 1897 ; 52d Ann. Rept. 

N. Y. State Mus., 104, 1900. 




BIA'KFISH. 



Bluish or greenish, silvery below, a black blotch at the base of the pectoral. 

Some of the man\- names applied to this widely distributed fish are the follow- 
ing: Mackerel (New Jersey), Horse Mackerel (New York and Rhode Island), Snap- 
ping Mackerel (New England and New Jersey), Skip Mackerel (New York"), Snapper 
and Blue Snapper (New England), Green Fish (Maryland, Virginia and North Caro- 
lina), Salt-water Jack (Southern States), Tailor (Chesapeake Bay), Whitefish (Hud- 
son River). Bluefish is the name most extensively used on the coast and in the 
Gulf of Me.xico. 

The Bluefish ranges on our coast from Maine to the Gulf of Mexico, and is 
believed to frequent warm seas of both continents. It ranged farther to the north- 
ward in 18S7 than for many years before. We heard of its capture in the vicinity 
of Mount Desert, Me. On our coast and elsewhere its movements are erratic, and 
its abundance fluctuates greatly within certain periods ; it disappears sometimes 
altogether for a term of years. The young, under about i inch in length, seem to 
be unknown. The spawning habits and localities have not been recorded. The 



3/0 SEVKXTIl KKI'lJRT OK TIIK FORKST, FISH AM) (lAME COM MISSION*. 

smallest known examples were obtained at the surface off shore by the U. S. Fish 
Commission. The writer has seined individuals a little more than an inch long 
at Ocean City, N. J., the last of August. The young ascend rivers into fresh 
water. 

This is one of the most destructive of all fishes. It feeds ravenously, and, when 
gorged with food, continues to destroy its victims for the sake of gratifying its kill- 
ing propensit)-. If follows the great schools of Alewives, W'eakfish, Mullets and 
other valuable food fishes along our coast in summer, and the young may be dis- 
covered in shallow bays and sounds, pursuing the .Silversides, young Herring, 
Anchovies antl other fishes smaller than themselves. According to DeKay Bluefish 
were unknown on the New York coast till about 1810, when a few appeared. In 
1815 Dr. Mitchill wrote : " Young ones are taken plentifully with the hook at our 
wharves by the boys in August." The largest mentioned by iVIitchill was 13 inches 
long, 3 inches deep and weighed about 14 ounces. The name Bluefish was in use at 
the time of MitchiU's report. 

DeKay noticed the gradual disappearance of the Weakfish with the increasing 
abundance of Bluefish. 

The best known methods of taking Bluefish are b\' trolling at the surface with a 
squid of metal or bone and by heaving and hauling in the surf near the mouths of 
streams into which Alewives are running. Artificial minnows are also used with a 
light rod, when young Bluefish are seen feeding near the surface. The most recent 
method in use by anglers is that of chumming in the manner usually employed in 
Striped Bass fishing. This method, which in\-olves the use of rod and reel, was in 
use near the inlet at Fire Island early in October, 189O. During the summer, in 
this ba_\', it was not an uncommon thing for anglers to catch 150 or 200 small 
Bluefish with hook and line in a single day. The species is to be found in all parts 
of the bay visited by us. It was taken at the following localities : Blue Point Cove, 
Oak Island and F'ire Island. Large numbers of Bluefish were caught late in 
September by means of gill nets set in the ocean near Blue Point life-sa\'ing station. 
A fisherman caught 450 at one time and 250 at another, the dates being September 
23 and 24, 1890. In August of that year Bluefish drove immense schools of Round 
Herring (/rVr/cwiv/j' teres) on the ocean beach, near the Life-saving station. Septem- 
ber 24, while walking along the beach of Fast Island, not far from the Blue Point 
station, in a distance of half a mile, I saw 51 Round Herring l\'ing on the beach, 
liaving been cliased in a short time previously by Bluefish. When tlie fishermen 
find tlie Round Herring on the sluire, they know that Bluefish are present. .Small 
Bluefish were caught in a trap at Islip, October i, 1S90. In the summer of 1898 



THK FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 



379 



young Bluefish were abundant in all the waters visited in Peconic Bay and Great 
South Bay and were taken as late as October i6. 

During the warm season they often run up the rivers, the young, called Snappers, 
frequently into nearly fresh waters. (After Eugene Smith.) 

The Bluefish is so active in its movements that it is difificult to keep it in 
captivity. As with the species of Caranx and Scrio/a, however, its longevity 
depends on range and temperature ; in a large body of water, not colder than 60° in 
winter, it can be maintained easily. 



94. Crab-eater; Cobia [Rin/iycciitroii caiiaihis Linnaeus). 

Centronotus spiiiosus Mitchill, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y., I, 490, pi. Ill, fig. 9, 1815, 

New York. 
it/rtCfz/f (?//</////<-(7 CuviER & Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss., VIII, 334, pi. 233, 1831, 

Brazil; DeK.JlY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 113, pi. 25, fig. 77, 1842. 
£/<7n7A- ci/^w^/i? JoRD.^N & Gilbert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 418, 1883; Bean, Bull. 

U. S. F. C, VII, 144, pi. II, fig. 13, 1888; 19th Rept. N. Y. Comm. Fish., 270, pi. 

XX, fig. 25, 1890, young. Great Egg Harbor Bay. 
Rachxiciitron caiiadiis Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., I, 948, 1896, pi. 

CXLVIII, fig. 401, 1900 ; Smith, Bull. U. S. F. C.. XVII, 98, 1898. 




crau-eater. 

Color olive brown ; sides with a distinct broad dark band and a less distinct band 
above and below it ; lower parts silvery. 

The Crab-eater inhabits all warm seas, occasionally appearing on our northern 
coast in summer and ranging northward to Massachusetts Bay. Individuals are 
occasionally taken at Woods Hole, Mass. 

Dr. Mitchill had a specimen of the Crab-eater which was caught in New York 
Bay June 11, 1815. He found in its stomach 20 spotted Sand Crabs and several 
young Flounders. The fish was eaten at his table, and pronounced one of the best 
he had ever tasted. This example was 31 inches long. Dr. DeKay styles it the 
Northern Crab-eater. The specimen described by him was captured in Boston 
Harbor, and placed in a live car with other fish, chiefly Porgies [Stcnotoinus chrysops). 



?8o 



SKVENTH KKPORT OF TIIK KOKKST, FISH AXi) GAME COMMISSION. 



and it destroyed and ate every fisli in the car. Dr. A. K. Fisher of Washington has 
found the young of the Crab-eater in the Hudson near Sing Sing. Though we have 
no specimens of the Crab-eater from Great South Bay, there is scarcely a doubt of 
its occurrence in that body of water. 

A young example, 3J8 inches long, was caught at Somers Point, N. J., near the 
club house, August 2, 1887, by Capt. Richard Chamberlain. Ground color nearly 
black'; a white stripe, about as wide as pupil, from upper angle of gill opening to 
caudal ; another one, but narrower, begins at lower extremity of pectoral base, curves 
very .slightly upward, fading out near the tail ; upper caudal lobe with a narrow 





whitish margin along its upper surface, relieved by a trace of orange red at its 
base; lower caudal lobe with a narrow orange red margin; pectorals, ventrals and 
caudal black; back fades to a dark green; belly grayish white ; iris golden bronze. 
This species has not previously been recorded from Great Egg Harbor Bay, and the 
young seems not to have been described. 

Another example, 4 inches long, was seined in one of the thoroughfares in the 
bay August 23. This has the same markings as the first. The caudal when fully 
expanded, is rounded, the end truncate ; there is no emargination as in the adult. 
A figure of the young is published in Bulletin of the U. S. Fish Commission, pi. 2, 
fig. 13, 1888. 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW VOKK. 38 1 

95. Harvest Fish; Pappy Fish (R/iombus paru Linn.-Eus). 

Stroiiiatcui loiiii^ipiniiis Mitchii.l, Trans. Lit. & J'liil. Soc. N. Y., I, 366, 1815, New York 

Bay. 
Rhombus longipinnis DeKay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishe.s, 136, pi. 75, 239, 1842. 
Rhombus paru Jordan & Evermaxn, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 965, 1896, pi. CL, fig. 

404, 1900; Bean, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., IX, 364, 1897. 

Color greenish above, golden yellow below. Mitchill gives the following descrip- 
tion : " Silvery, with tints of blue, green and iridescent ; dusky on the head and 
with inky patches on the belly towards the tail, which in certain lights appear 
beautifully red and purple; back bluish, with occasional clouds." 

The Harvest Fish inhabits the West Indies and is found on our Atlantic coast 
from Cape Cod southward, ranging to Brazil. The young are frequently seen swim- 
ming beneath the Portuguese Man-of-War. 

DeKay had several specimens of the species, but found it less common than the 
Short-finned Harvest fish, R. triacanthus. At Charleston the fish is called Rudder 
fish. 

The species reaches a length of 8 inches. It is a valuable food fish. It is a 
summer visitor in Gravesend Bay and is sometimes rare, but was formerly abundant 
there. It is not adapted to a captive life. At Woods Hole, Mass., Dr. Smith 
reports it as usually rare, but occasionally common. As a rule only 3 or 4 are 
taken in a season, but one year 300 or 400 were obtained. It occurs mostly in June 
and July, associated with the Butter fish, R. triacanthus. 

96. Butter fish; Harvest fiish (Rliombiis triacanthns Peck). 

Stromateus cryptosus Mitchill, Trans. Lit. lN: Phil. Soc. N. Y., I, 365, pi. I, fig. 3, 1815, 

New York Bay. 
Rhombus triacanthus DeKav, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 137, pi. 26, fig. 80, 1842 ; Jordan & 

EvERMANN, Bull. 47, LT. S. Nat. Mus., 967, 1896, pi. CL, fig. 405, 1900 ; Bean, Bull. 

Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., IX, 363, 1897 ; Bean, 52d Ann. Rept. N. Y. State Mus., 104, 

1900. 
Poronotus triacaiitlius Bean, 19th Rept. N. Y. Com. Fish., 257, pi. XI, fig. 14, 1890. 

This is known as the Dollar fish. Harvest fish and Lafayette. Mitchill called it 
the Cryptous Broad Shiner, and DeKay described it under the name Short-finned 
Harvest fish. About Cape Cod it is the Sheepshead and Skipjack. In Connecticut 
it is called Pumpkin Seed and at Norfolk, Starfish. 



382 



SKVKXril RKPOKT OF TIIF. KOKKST, KISII AND GAME COMMISSION. 



The Batter fish ranjjes from Maine to South Carolina, ami is gradually replaced 
southward b_\- the Long-finned Harvest fish, Rhombus pani. It is a summer visitor, 
associated with the Mackerel. DeKay records it in New York Bay July i, and 
obtaineil it from fyke nets in New \'urk Harbor as late as October \2. We seined 
young e.xamples at IMue Point Life-saving station October 7, and others were secured 
September 30 at Oak Island Beach. It is taken chiefly in pound nets, and has 
recently become a highly prized market fish. A few years ago it was little esteemed 
The young are to be found in the summer months swimming at the surface in shel- 
tered bays and frequently under the shelter of the streamers of Jelly fishes, where 
they are sometimes destroyed by the lasso cells of their host. 

The Harvest fish is present in Gravesend Bay from April to November, .\dults 
were taken at .Southampton Beach .Vugust I and August 3, 1898. The fish was not 
found in (jreat South Bay iluring the summer and fall of 1898. 




^^' 



BUTTER FISH. 



97- Crappie iPomoxis auunlaris Rafincsque). 

Pomoxis annularis JJean, Fishes Penna., 103, \i\. 30, lit;. 59, 1893; Jordan & Ever- 
MANN, Bull. 47, U. .S. Nat. Mus., 987, 1896, jil. CLIV, fig. 415, 1900. 

Color clear silvery oli\'e, the sides mottled with dark greenish blotches. On the 
upper part of the body are traces of narrow vertical bars. Tlie dorsal and caudal 
are mottled, but the anal is usually uniform pale. 

Among the man\- names which ha\e been applied to the Crappie are: Bachelor, 
Newiight, Campbellite, Sac-a-lait, Bridge Perch, Strawberry Perch, Chinquapin Perch, 
Speckled Perch, Tin Perch, Goggle-eye, John Demon, Shad, White Croppie and Tim- 
ber Croppie. 



THE KOOli AND CAME FTSIIES OF NEW ^■()KK. 383 

In the lower Mississippi Valley the Crappic is one of the most conmion fishes. 
It is abundant also in the Ohio Valley and occurs rarc!\- in Lake Erie. The (3hio, 
Illinois and Mississippi Rivers are particularly noted for an afnindance of Crappies, 
and the fish is very plentiful in Lake Pontchartrain, La., where it is one of the most 
luLjhh- prizetl of the smaller game fishes. 

Dr. Meek tlid not obtain the Crappie in the Cayuga Lake basin, but sa)'s it may be 
found in the canal near Montezuma, where the Calico Bass is said to be frequently 
taken. 

The Crappie is a very general favorite for pond culture, can be reatlily trans- 
ported and under favorable conditions multiplies prodigiously. Its range has been 
verv much extended bv artificial means. The best distinguishing marks between 




CRAPPIE. 

the Crappie and the Calico Bass are the more ehmgated form of the Crappie, the 
presence of si.x spines in the dorsal ami the nearly uniform whitish color of the anal. 
In the Crappie the greatest depth of the body is usually contained two and one-half 
times in the total length without the tail, while in the Calico Bass the depth equals 
one-half the length. These two species are so similar in size and habits that they 
are rarely distinguished except by ichthyologists. 

The Crappie grows to a length of about I foot and usually weighs I pound 
or less, but in a lake near St. Louis an individual weighing 3 pounds has been 
recorded. 

Crappie fishing usually begins in June and lasts till the coming of cold weather. 
Large numbers of these fish are collected near Quincy, 111., for distribution to other 
waters. At Peoria, 111., Prof. P""orbes has taken them in March and April ; lie has 
found them also in Pistakee Lake and at Ottawa. Ceda.' Lake, Ind., and King's 
Lake, Mo., are celebrated Crappie waters. Near Covington, Ky., in private ponds 



384 SKVENTH RKrORT OF THE FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION'. 

belonging to Joseph Schlosscr, there are myriads of Crappies as well as other game 
fishes. 

Prof. S. A. Forbes has studied the feeding habits of the Crappie, and finds that 
the young live chiell}- on entomostraca and small insect larva;. The adults subsist 
on the same food when obtainable, but in times of scarcity they feed to some extent 
on other fishes. Small Minnows and Darters have been found in their stomachs. 
In the autumn I'rof. I'orbes has found a larger percentage of small fishes, sometimes 
constituting nearly two-fifths of their food. The Hellgramite is eaten by the 
Crappie. In cold weather it does not consume one-fourth the amount of food 
which it takes in the early spring. The Crappie prefers still waters, thriving even in 
warm and muddy water, and has been taken in large numbers in midsummer at 
depths of only a few feet ; in cold weather it retires to deeper water, becomes rather 
sluggish and takes little food. Dr. Henshall states that the Crappie is found about 
dams and iix deep, still parts of streams and ponds, especially about logs, brush and 
drift. 

The Crappie is a very free biter and can be caught readily with Minnows or 
worms. Spoon bait has been successfully used in trolling for this species. It is 
recorded that two men ha\'e taken a thousand Crappies in three days' fishing \\'ith 
hook and line. As the fish is gregarious, congregating in large schools, and fearless, 
it can be taken in the immense numbers given. The best bait for Crappie is a small 
.Shiner. It rises well also to the artificial fly. As a food fish this is one of the best 
in our inland waters, and its adaptability for life in artificial ponds should make it a 
favorite with fish culturists. 

98. Calico Bass ; Strawberry Bass {Pomoxis spnroiiics Lacdpede). 

Pomoxys sparoiJcs Jordan & CiIlbert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 465, 1883; Be.\n, 

Fishes Penna., 102, color ])1. 9, 1803. 
Pomoxis sparoidcs Meek, Ann. N. V. .\c. .Sci., IV, 312, 1888; Bollman, Kept. U. S. F. 

C, X\'l, 559. ]il. 68, fig. 2, 1892; Jordan iV Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. .Mus., 

987, 1896, ]il. CI.I\', ri,i,f. 416, 1900. 

The sides are olivaceous with silvery reflections and mottled with pale green. 
The dorsal, anal ami caudal show pale spots surrounded b_\- green reticulations. 

The Calico Hass, on account of its wide distribution and variability, has received 
a profusion of names. Many of these are variations of the term bass. It is 
known, for eNami?le, as Strawberry Bass, Grass Bass, Lake Bass, Lake Erie Bass, 
liank Lake 15ass, .Silver Bass, and Big-fin Bass. Other names for the species are 
Strawberry Perch. Chinquapin I'erch, Goggle-eye Perch, Silver Perch and Sand 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 



385 



Perch. Still other names of local application are Barfish, Bitter Head, Tin Mouth, 
Sac-a-lait, Lamp-lighter, Razor Back, Goggle-eye, Black Croppie and Lake Croppie. 
The species is mentioned in the fish laws of Pennsylvania under the name of Lake 
Erie Bass or Grass Bass. 

The distribution of the Calico Bass is naturally extensive, and it has been still 
farther increased by artificial introduction. The fish has been carried to France, and 
examples measuring about 8 inches in length were recorded there several years ago. 
There is, however, some confusion in that country between the Calico Bass and the 
Common Sunfish, and there is no doubt that some of the latter species have been 
introduced into Germany under the mistaken belief that they were Calico Bass. 










'^- 




CALICO P.ASS. 

This Bass is indigenous east of the AUeghanies from New Jersey southward to 
Georgia. It abounds in the Great Lakes region, Mississippi Valley south to Louisiana, 
most common northward, and occurs in the Missouri. In the (3hio Valley it was 
rather uncommon till its introduction in large numbers. It was introduced into the 
Susquehanna River by the Pennsylvania P'ish Commission, and has become accli- 
matized there ; also into the Monongahela, the Lehigh, and other waters. 

Fishermen of the region about Montezuma informed Dr. Meek that the fish is 
frequently taken from the canal near that place, where it is known as Calico Bass. 
The U. S. Fish Commission obtained two examples in Long Pond, at Charlotte, 
N. Y., August 17, 1894. 

This bass grows to a length of about i foot and a maximum weight of nearly 3 
pounds, but the average weight is about i pound. It spawns in the spring, and the 
close season in some States extends to June i. Gravid females were caught near 
25 



386 



SEVENTH KKPORT OF TlIK FOR[;ST, KISH AXD GAME COMMISSION. 



Havre do Grace, Md., in May. These were taken in the Susquelianna and Tidewater 
Canal, where the species is becoming rather abundant. The food of the CaHco Bass 
consists of worms, small crustaceans and fishes. Thou<,'h a native of deep, sluggish 
waters of western rivers and lakes, it readily adapts itself to cold, rapid streams and 
thrives even in small brooks. The species is suitable also for pond life and may be 
kefjt in small areas of water provided they have sufficient depth. It does not prey 
on other fishes, and its numerous stiff spines protect it from larger predaceous 
species. It swims in large schools and is often found in comparatively shoal water. 
The nest-buikliiig habits have been described by Duclos from observations made at 
Versailles, France. This writer unfortunately had under observation both the Calico 
Bass and the Common Sunfish, and his statements need confirmation. The game 
cpialilies of this bass are noteworthy. It is a free, vigorous biter ; its endurance is 
rather remarkable considering its size. As a food fish the species is highly prized, 
and its increase in ea.stern rivers is greatly to be desired. 




ROCK. BASS. 



99. Rock Bass; Red-eye [Atnbloplitcs nipcstris Rafinesque). 

Ceiitrarclius afiwus DeKav, N. V. Fauna, Fishes, 27, i)l. 2, fig. 4, 1842, Lake Champlain; 

Great I^akes ; streams of Western New York ; Hudson River. 
Ambloplilts nipestris Bean, Fishes Penna., 105, color pi. 10, 1893; Jokii.w i\: Kvf.rmanx, 

I5uil. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 990, 1896, pi. CLVI, figs. 419, A, B, C; Mekk, .Ann. N. Y. 

.\c. S( i., W , 513, 189S; EiCKXE S.MirH, I'roc. Linn. Sor. \. Y. for 1897, 33, 1898; 

Meai<.\s, I'.uU, Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., X, 319, 1S98; ]5ka.v, 52d .\nn. Rept. N. Y. 

State Mus., 104, 1900. 

Color olive green with a brassy tinge and much tlark mottling: the \-oung are 
pale or yellowish, irregularly barred and blotched with black; adults with a dark 



THE FOOD AMI tiAMK FISHES OF NEW YORK. 387 

spot at the base of each scale, the spots formint;- interrupted black stripes; a dark- 
spot oil the opercle ; soft dorsal, anal, and caudal fins with dark mottlings ; iris 
golden ox'crlaid with crimson. 

The Rock Bass is known under a variety of names. Among them are the follow- 
ing: Red-eye, Red-eyed Perch, Goggle-eye and Lake Bass. It is found in Lower 
Canada, Vermont and throughout the Great Lakes region, West Manitoba, and it is 
native in Minnesota and Dakota; southward it ranges through the Mississippi Valley 
to Texas, hi the Ohio Valley it is very common, while in the Middle Atlantic States, 
east of the Alleghanies, it has probably been introduced. Its existence in the 
Susquehanna has been known for man)- years. Whether it is indigenous in Pennsyl- 
vania waters is uncertain. It lias been introduced into some parts of Virginia, while 
in other portions of that State it is native. It is indigenous in North Carolina. Its 
distribution in Pennsylvania has been great!}' extended by artificial introduction, 
and it is now well established in the Delaware, especially in its upper waters. 
DeKay records it from Lake Champlain, the Great Lakes and the larger streams in 
the western counties of New York. Meek says it is a very common and well-known 
species in the Cayuga Lake basin. In the Passaic River and other waters it is an 
introduced species. Exermann and Bean obtained a specimen in Scioto Creek, 
Coopersville, N. V., Jul}- 19, 1S94. In the Lake Ontario region the U. S. Fish Com- 
mission collectors secured it at many localities in New York State in 1894 and pre- 
vious years. The species is found in Chautauqua Lake. 

Under circumstances favorable as to water and food supply the Rock Bass 
grows to a length of 14 inches and a weight of 2 pounds. It increases in depth 
and thickness with age. The largest example we have examined is one of 2 pounds 
weight, length 14 inches, from the James River, Va., taken near Richmond. Dr. 
William Overton reports ttiat Rock Bass weighing T,i.^ pounds have been taken in 
his \-icinity at Stony Creek, Va. 

In February and March this fish frequents the mouths of small streams, and in 
summer it seeks shady places under high banks or projecting rocks. The species is 
gregarious, going in large schools. It thrives where there is not much current and 
is very well adapted for culture in artificial ponds. It is as common in lakes and 
ponds as in the streams. Sluggish, pure dark water suits it best. * 

The fishing season begins in June and lasts till the approach of cold weather. 
The Rock Bass feeds on worms, crustaceans and larvae of insects early in the season ; 
later its food consists of Minnows and Crawfish. The young feed on insects and 
their larva;. The spawning season is May and June, and gravelly shoals are resorted 
to for depositing the eggs. 



388 



SEVK.NTI! RKI'OkT OF THE FOREST, FISH AM) CAME COMMISSION. 



Tlic Rock Bass bites very freely and is a fair game fish and excellent for the 
table. It fights vigorously, but its endurance is not great. Suitable baits are white 
grubs, crickets, grasshoppers. Crawfish and small Minnows. Common earthworms 
are also successfully used. 



100. Warmouth ; Goggle-eye [Chtciiobryttiis ^i:;!t/osns Cuv. & Val.). 

Ch(?nohiyttiis git/osits Jordan & Gilbert, Syn. Fish. N. A., 468, 1883 ; Jordan & 
EvKKMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 992, 1896, pi. CLVII, fig. 421, 1900. 

The Warmouth inhabits the eastern United States from the Great Lakes 
to South Carolina and Texas, ranging west to Kansas and Iowa. It occurs chiefly 
west or south of the Alleghanies. The fish reaches a length of 10 inches and is a 




WARMOUTH. 



food species of some importance. It is extremely voracious and, consequently, a 
favorite for angling. In form and color it varies greath'. 

Color in life clear olive green, clouded with darker, usually without red or blue ; 
a dusky sjiot on each scale more or less distinct : \-ertical fins mottled with dusk}- : a 
faint spot on last rays of dorsal bordered by paler ; three oblique dusky bars radiat- 
ing from eye ; belly yellowish. 

lOi. Green Sunfish ; Red-eye [.Iponwtis cyaiic/his RafincsqueV 

Lcpomis cyaitcllus l!i;.\\, l-'ishcs I'cnna., no, ])!. 31, fig. 61, 1S93 ; Mkek, .\nn. N. V. Ac. 

Sci., IV, 313, 1888. 
Apoiiiotis i-yaiie/liis Jordan 5: Evermann, Bull. 47, V. S. Nat. Mus., 996, 1896. 

The Blue-spotted Sunfish, also known as the Green Sunfish and Red-eye. extends 
from the Great Lakes region, throughout the Ohio and Mississippi Valleys south to 




4»x 



THK FUUl) AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 389 

Mexico. It docs not occur in the Middle Atlantic States east of the Alleghanies. 
Dr. Meek did not find tliis fish near Ithaca. A few specimens were taken near 
Montezuma, N. V. None of the collectors of the U. S. Fish Commission obtained 
it in the Lake Ontario rei,non. 

In spirits the color is pale brown, the fins paler. The opercular flap has a dark 
spot as described above. In life there is generally a black blotch on the hinder part 
of the dorsal and anal ; the Ljround color is greenish with a brassy tinge on the sides, 
the lower parts yellowish ; blue spots and gilt borders usually ornament the scales, 
and faint dark bands are often present. The dorsal, anal and caudal have blue or 
green markings, and the anal is margined in front with orange. The iris is red and 
the cheeks are striped with blue. 

The species reaches a length of 7 inches, and is an extremely variable one. Prof. 
Cope refers to it as a good pan fish and states that it is abundant in the Ohio basin. 
In the Ohio Valley it is one of the characteristic fishes, inhabiting ponds and ascend- 
ing small streams. It frequents deep holes and the shelter of overhanging roots. 

102. Long-eared Sunfish [Lc/'oiiiis auritus Linn.xus). 

Lal'iKS appfiiJix Mrrcnii.i., Am. Month. Mag., II, 247, February, 1818. 

Pomotis appendix DkKav, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 32, 1842, from Mitchill; Storer, Hist. 
Fish. Mass., 14, pi. Ill, fig. 4, 1867. 

Lcpomis aiiritiis Joki.ax & (hlukrt. Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 477, 1883; Bean, Fishes 
Penna., 113, pi. 31, fig. 63, 1893; Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 
looi, 1896, pi. CLXIX, figs. 425, 425(7. 1900; Mearns, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., 
X, 319, 1898; Eugene Smith, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. Y. 1897, 34, 1898. 

The Long-eared Sunfish has a very extensive range and is known under many 
common names, among which are the following: Bream, Red-tailed Bream, Redhead 
Bream, Red-bellied Bream, Perch, Sun Perch, Red bellied Perch and Redbreast. 

The species is common in streams east of the Alleghanies from Maine to Florida, 
and in tributaries of the Gulf of Mexico to Louisiana. In the Southern States the 
typical Long-eared Sunfish is replaced by a variety with larger scales on the cheeks 
and belly and a dusky blotch on the posterior part of the soft dorsal fin. 

Mearns found this Sunfish abundant in the Hudson and in Poplopen's Creek, a 
tributary of the Hudson ; he took it also in Highland Lake. Eugene Smith reported 
it to be very common in the upper Passaic River, in the Great Swamp and in the 
Bronx River. 

In spirits the color is pale brown ; the fins somewhat paler; the ear flap black; a 
brownish streak in front of the eye and another horizontal one beneath it. In life 



390 si;vi:\TH rei-ort ok the eoresi-, eish anm) came commission. 

the color is olivaceous; the belly, especially in breeding males, orange. The scales 
on the sides have reddish spots on a bluish ground. Dorsal, anal and caudal usually 
yellowish. The stripes on the head are bluish. 

The Long-eared Sunfish averages about 8 inches when adult and weighs about i 
pound. In the south the size and number of individuals are greatly increased. This 
fish feeds on worms, insect larv;e, crustaceans, mollusks and small fishes. In the 
Susquehanna this is one of the most common of the Sunfishes ; in the Delaware also 
it is abundant, and reaches a large size. Though not important commercially, it is 
taken in large numbers on the hook and is an excellent food fish. It takes any kind 




LONG-E.ARED SfNFISH. 

of live bait very readily and furnishes good sport also with the artificial fl_\-. In the 
Hudson Highlands region, according to Mcarns, it is commonly sold in the markets; 
fishermen take it in f\-kes, and by angling, using dough, grasshoppers and angle- 
worms for bait. He has caught it in the most rapid parts of Poplopen's Creek when 
angling for Brook Trout. 



103. Blue-gill ; Blue Sunfish (Le/^ow/s pallidus Mitchill). 

Lahnis pallidus MiTCHii.i,, I'rans. Lit. ^: Phil. .Soc. N. Y., I, 407, 1815, near New York. 

Pomotis incisor Cuvikr & Y.m.k.nxiennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss., \'II, 466, 1831, New Orleans ; 
DeK.'W, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 33, 1842 (extra liniital). 

Lepomis pallidus Jordan & Gilbert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 479, 1883 ; Meek, Ann. 
N. Y. Ac. Sci., IV, 313, 1888; BEA^•, Fishes Penna., 112, pi. 31, fig. 62, 1893 ; Jor- 
dan & EvERMAN.M, Hull. 47, U. S. Nat. ^Lls., 1005. 1S96, ]il. CLX, tig. 427, 1900. 

The proi)riety of using MitcltiU's name pallidus for the Blue Sunfish is extremely 
doubtful. His description cm be much more readily referred to a species of 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 



391 



Eniwacanthns, and tlic loceility "near New York" docs not possess this Sunfish 
among its nati\e species. 

The Blue Sunfish, Blue Bream, Copper-nosed Bream or Dollardce is a very widely 
diffused species and \aries greatly in size, color and length of the ear-flap. It is 
found in the Great Lakes and throughout the Mississippi Valley to Mexico. East 
of the Alleghanies it ranges from New Jersey to Florida. In Pennsylvania it is 
abundant onl_\' in the western part of the .State, inchuling Lake Erie. Dr. Abbott 
has recorded it from the Delaware River. Dr. Meek says that it is found in the 
Cayuga Lake basin in small numbers with the Blue .Spotted Sunfish, Apoinotis cya- 
ncllus, which he took near Montezuma. It is recorded also from Chautauqua Lake 
by Dr. Evermann. 

The Blue Sunfish grows to a length of nearly i foot, and individuals weighing 
nearly 2 pounds are on record. Adults, however, average 8 inches in length, with a 




BLUE-GILL. 

weight of less than i pound. The size of the individuals depends on the habitat. 
In large lakes' and streams it grows to a greater size than in small bodies of 
water. In southern \\'aters it attains to a larger size than in northern waters. 
It lives in ponds as well as in streams and thriws in warm waters. It is consid- 
ered ecpial to the Rock Bass as a pan fish and can very readily be taken by hook 
fishing. 

In spirits the color is pale brown, the scales with a pale margin ; a dark blotch 
on the hind part of the soft dorsal; a black opercular flap, its width and length 
about equal, shorter than the eye. The living fish varies with age from light 
green to dark green. The j'oung have the sides silvery, tinged with purple and 



392 



SEVENTH REPORT C)E THE FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. 



with mail}- vertical greenish bands, wliich are sometimes chain-like. The dark 
blotch of the soft dorsal is often indistinct in the young. In very old individuals 
the belly is often coppery red. 

104. Sunfish ; Pumpkin Seed (/inpon/otis giblwsus Linnjeus). 

Aloronc iiiaculiUa Mitchill, Report in Fart, 19, 1814. 

Pomotis vulgaris DeKay, N. Y. Fauna, Fi.shes, 31, ]>!. 51, 166, 1842. 

Lepomis gibhosus Meek, Ann. N. Y. Ac. Sci., IV, 313, 1888; Bean, Fishes Penna., 115, 

pi. 32, fig. 65, 1S93. 
Eiipomotis aiiii-us Maiher, -■Vpp. 12th Rept. .Vdirondack Surv. N. Y., 7, 1886. 
Eupomotis giblwsiis Jordan & Ever.maxn, Hull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 1009, 1896, pi. 

ri.XI, fig, 429, 1900; Bean, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., IX, 364. 1897; Mearns, 

Bull. .\m. Mus. Nat. Hist., X, 320, 1S98; Eugene S.mith, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. Y. 

1897, 35, 1898; Bean, 52d .\nn. Rcjit. N. V. State Mus., 104, 1900. 




The Common .Sunfish. or .Sunny. I'umpkin Scetl, Hrcam, Tobacco Bo.x, and Pond 
l-'ish is one of the best known fishes of the United States. 

It is found from Maine westward through the (ireat Lakes region to Minnesota 
and in the Eastern States south to South Carolina. In western rivers, however, it is 
seldom found south of the latitude of Chicago. In New York the Sunfish abounds 
almost everywhere, in the lowlands as well as the highlands and in brackish as well 
as fresh waters ; it has even been taken occasionally in salt water on Long Island. 
Large indi\-iduals ha\e been receixed from Canandaigua Lake and from lakes in the 
Adirondacks. Dr. Meek found it very common throughout the Cayuga Lake basin. 



THP: FUOI) AM) GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 393 

The collectors of the U. S. Fish Commission obtained it in almost all the waters 
visited by them (21 localities) in the Lake Ontario region. Dr. Evermann has 
recorded it from Chautauqua Lake. It occurs in Lake Champlain and in the 
basin of the St. Lawrence. Eugene Smith reports it from most of the moraine 
ponds of Long Island and Staten Island, and in quarry ponds of the Palisades, 
wherein it is frequently placed by boys. Ponds and lakes in the parks of New York 
City are well stocked with this species. Mearns reported it as abundant in the 
Hudson and in all the ponds and slow streams of the Hudson Highlands. Mather 
recorded it as a common fish in most of the Adirondack waters, the exceptions 
being Piseco Lake, G Lake, Coald Lake, Seats' Lake. T Lake, Willis Pond, Murphy, 
Warner and Bug Lakes. 

In spirits the color is pale brownish, the opercular flap black with a narrow 
whitish margin behind and beneath, and the dorsal fin with faint dusky blotches. 
In life this is one of the most brilliant of Sunfishes, the upper parts being greenish 
olive with a bluish tinge, the sides profusely spotted with orange, the belly and 
lower fins orange and the dorsal and caudal fins bluish with orange spots. The 
cheeks are orange with undulating blue stripes ; the opercular flap is black emargi- 
nated behind and underneath with bright scarlet. 

The Common Sunfish grows to a length of 8 inches and a weight of about y^, 
pound. Its food is similar to that of the Long-eared Sunfish ; and it is one of the 
readiest biters known to the angler. The habits of this fish have been described by 
Dr. Theodore Gill and W. P. Seal. The latter states that the male in the breeding 
season is readily identified by his brighter coloration, conspicuous ear flaps and a 
luminous border around the fins while in the water. The nest is a depression in the 
mud, sand or gravel, hollowed out by means of the fins. In the Potomac he found 
a number of nests which were located from a few inches to several feet apart. The 
male watches the nest and drives away all intruders. The eggs are only about '/,_, of 
an inch in diameter and not very numerous. They are attached to stones and 
aquatic plants. Mr. Seal has reason to believe that the male alone is concerned in 
building the nest and in the care of the eggs and young. 

The species is usually hardy in captivity, but is subject to fungus attacks which 
yield readily to treatment with brackish water. In the aquarium, according to 
Eugene Smith, the Common Sunfish by incessant attacks often kills associates of 
many kinds. It is a very gamy fish, common everywhere and is usually found in 
the company of Shiners, Minnows and Killies. In quarry ponds, of the Palisades, 
says the same author, the fish will thrive and multiply as freely as the Goldfish, 
provided there is water enough throughout the year. 



394 SlCVENTll UETORT OF THE EOkEST, EISII AND GAME COMMISSION. 

105. Small-mouthed Black Bass \Microptcnis dolomicu Lacepede). 

Microptcnis Jolomieu Mathkk, Ap]). 12th Re])t. Adirondack Surv. N. Y., 5, 1886; Meek, 
Ann. N. Y. Ac. Sci., IV, 313, 1888; Kean, Fishes Penna., 116, color pi. r i, 1893; 
JoKDAN & EvERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 101 1, 1896, pi. CLXII, figs. 430, 
430;?, 1900; Bean, Bid!. .\ni. Mus. Nat. Hist., IX, 364, 1897; Mearns, id., X, 320, 
1898; EuoENE Smith, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. Y. 1897, 35, 1898. 

Cfiitrardnis ohsciinis DeKav, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 30, ]il. 17, fg. 48, 1842, Onondaga 
Creek, N. Y. 

One of the early names for the Small-moutheil Black Bass is that of Growler, 
which ajjpears in tlic writings of Cuvier, who was under the impression that the 
name was applied because of a noise sometimes produced by this bass. At the time 
of his writing the name Growler was pretty generally identified with the Black Bass. 
Among the names applied to this fish by Rafinesquc are 1-ake Bass, Big Bass, 




SMALL-MOUTHED BLACK BASS. 

Spotted Bass, and Achigan. He also mentions it under the names Painted Tail, 
Bridge Perch. Yellow Bass, (Sold Bass, Brown Bass, Dark Bass, Minny Bass, Little 
Bass, Hog Bass, Yellow Perch, Black Perch, Trout Perch, Black Pearch, Streaked 
Head, White Trout and Brown Trout. In the Southern States the Small Mouth is 
known as the Trout, Perch ami Jumper. In Alabama it is called Mountain Trout. 
Some persons style it the Bronze Backer. The most appropriate name and the one 
by which it is best known is that of Black Bass or Small-mouthed Black Bass. 

This species is indigenous to the upper parts of the St. Lawrence basin, the Great 
Lakes region and the basin of the Mississippi. East of the Alleghanies it is native 
to the headwaters of the Ocmulgee and Chattahoochee Rivers, bvit north of these 
streams, though not originally an inhabitant of the waters, it has been widely dis- 
tributetl by artifici.d introduction. 

In the St. Lawrence River Evermann and Bean obtained the fish 5 miles below 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 395 

Ogdensburg, N. Y., July 17, 1S94, evidently the young of the year, as the specimen 
is i^ inches long. In Scioto Creek at Coopersville, N. Y., they secured an example 
iS4 inches long July 19, 1894. Field assistants of the U. S. Fish Commission, col- 
lecting in the Lake Ontario region of New York in 1894 and preceding years, took 
specimens in many localities. 

The species is abundant in Lake Champlain and the St. Lawrence River basin; 
it is found also in Chautauqua Lake. 

Meek did not find this species in the vicinity of Ithaca ; near Cayuga and Monte- 
zuma it is less common than the Large-mouthed Black Bass. Mather reported the 
species in Racquette, Forked, White, Fourth, Bisby and Sucker Lakes, Black and 
Moose Rivers, and in Partlo Pond, St. Lawrence County, in all of which it has been 
introduced. The fish is not uncommon in Lake Champlain ; it is abundant in the 
vicinity of Caledonia, N. Y. Eugene Smith records it from the Passaic River. 
The writer has found it abundant in the Bronx. Mcarns mentions it from Long 
Pond, in the Hudson Highlands, where it reaches the weight of 5 or 6 pounds. 

This Bass does not grow so large as the Large-mouthed, seldom exceeding 8 
pounds in weight and averaging but lyi pounds. A fish of the latter weight will 
measure 15 inches in length, while one of 8 pounds will measure 2 feet. 

The Small-mouthed Bass differs most markedly from the Large-mouthed in the 
size of its jaws, the shallower notch in the dorsal fin and the smaller scales. There 
are about 1 1 rows of scales above the lateral line and 7 below it ; 72-74 scales in the 
lateral line. 

The young are dull yellowish green, the sides mottled with darker spots, which 
sometimes form short vertical bars. Three dark stripes on the head ; caudal 
yellowish at the base ; a broad black band near middle of tail and a broad whitish 
margin behind. The dark lateral band characteristic of the Large-mouthed species is 
not found in the Small-mouth. In the adult the prevailing color is olive green, the 
stripes on the head remaining more or less distinct. 

The food' of the Black Bass consists of Crawfish, frogs, insects and their larvae. 
Minnows, and other aquatic animals of suitable size. The young can be fed on small 
fresh-water crustaceans, such as Daphnia and Cyclops. Among the successful baits 
for this species are Stone Catfish, Hellgramites and crickets. 

The Black Bass prefers rapid water, is extremely active, and frequents clear, pure, 
swiftly-flowing streams, and thrives at greater elevations than those preferred by the 
Large-mouthed species. It hibernates in the winter and spawns in the shallows on 
gravelly bottoms in spring. It follows its prey into shallow water and frequently 
leaps far out of the water in its efforts to escape from the hook or when frightened 



396 SF.VEXTII REPORT OF THE FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. 

by tlie sudden approacli of an enemy. It swims in schools and is often found in the 
.shelter of sunken logs and in the N'icinit}' of lart^e rocks. 

The spawning season begins in March and ends in July. The period of incuba- 
tion lasts from 7 to 14 days. The eggs are bound together in bands or ribbons by 
an adhesi\-e substance. They adhere t(j stones on which they are deposited. The 
parent fish build nests and protect the eggs and young. In the Delaware the 
current is more rapid and the temperature lower than in the .Susquehanna ; hence 
the Bass spawn earlier in the latter than in the former. The spawning fish have 
nearly all left their spawning beds in the Sus([uehanna early in July, but at this 
time most of the nests in tlie Delaware are still full of eggs. By some writers it is 
believed that the female prepares the nest before the male joins her. The males 
fight for the possession of the female and are said to help the process of ejecting the 
eggs by biting or pressing the belly of the female. After the eggs are deposited, 
the female guards the nest from the attacks of the Crawfish and some other fishes. 
The young are consumed by many birds and by frogs and snakes. Yet, notwith- 
standing the numerous enemies of the Black Bass, its multiplication has been rapid 
and enormous. 

The Small-mouthed Black Bass ceases to take food on the approach of cold 
weather and remains nearly dormant through the winter, except in artificially 
heated water. A number of the young of the year, received from James Annin, Jr., 
of Caledonia, N. V., October 6, 1896, scarcely fed at all in the following winter, 
but when the spring was advanced they fed eagerly and grew rapidly. 

106. Large-mouthed Black Bass (Miiroptcriis su/iiioif/cs Lacepede). 

Jliiro iiii^n'i-iTns DeKay, N. V. Fauna, Fishes, 15, ])1. 69, fig. 224, 1842. 

J//(Vv/A7-«j- i(//;/W(/cj- Meek, Ann. N. Y. .\c. Sci., IV, 313, 18SS; Bean, Fishes Penna., 

118, pi. 32, fig. 66, 1893; Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., IX, 364, 1897; Jordan & 

EvERMANN, I'.ull. 47, IT. S. N:it. Mus., I, IOI2, 1896, pi. CLXIII, fig. 431, 1900; 

Mearns, Bull. ,\ni. Mus. Nat. Hist., .\, 320, 1898; Eugene Smith, Proc. Linn. .Soc. 

N. Y. 1897, 36, 1898; Be.an, 52d .Vnn. Kept. N. Y. State Mus., 105, 1900. 

This species may best be distinguished from the Small-mouthed Black Bass by 
the size of its nimith ami the number of rows of scales abo\-e the lateral line. The 
young of the Small-mouthed species, also, never have a dark, lateral band. 

Common names for this species are: Oswego Bass, Ri\er l^ass. Green Bass, Moss 
Bass, Bayou Bass, Trout, Jumper, Chub and Welshman. Throughout the north it 
is generally known as Bass, in Virginia and North Carolina as Chub and in h'lorida 
and west to Texas as Trout. 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 



397 



The Large-mouthed Bass has a wide distribution, being indigenous to the eastern 
United States, from Manitoba to Florida and Texas, except New England and the 
Middle Atlantic States east of the AUeghanies, where it has been extensively intro- 
duced. It inhabits the fresh-water ponds, lakes and sluggish streams. It is found 
also at the mouths of rivers emptying into the Gulf of Mexico, where the water is 
brackish. 

Dr. Meek found the Large-mouthed species scarce near Ithaca and more common 
near Montezuma and Cayuga. James Aniiin, Jr., collected the young at Caledonia. 
The U. S. Fish Commission had it from numerous places in the Lake Ontario region. 

Dr. Mearns first observed the species in the Hudson in the autumn of 1S82, where 
the fish were caught in fyke nets during October and November. Eugene Smith 
records it from all lakes and rivers adjacent to New York City. 




LARGE -MOUTHED BLACK BASS. 

Young individuals, from i 'i to 2 inches long, Avere seined in Bronx River in 
August, 1897. 

The average weight of the Large-mouthed Bass in southern waters is less than 5 
pounds, and still less in northern waters. In Florida it attains a large size, as much 
as 3 feet in length, and a weight of 25 pounds. Its growth and size depend on the 
waters where it is found, ami the natural food supply of small fish. Crawfish and 
frogs. 

It is a very active fish ; its movements are affected by seasonal changes and 
the search for food and places for spawning. In polluted streams the Bass are often 
compelled by the impurities to seek new haunts in pure water. The young Bass 
feed on animal food at an early age. The Large-mouthed Bass is said to be more 
cannibalistic than the Small-mouthed. Small fishes (Minnows) of all kinds. Crawfish, 
frogs, insects and their larvje, and aquatic animals of all kinds, suitable in size, make 
up the diet of this fish. It feeds both at the surface and on the bottom, pursuing 
its prey with great activity. When surrounded by seines or caught on hooks this 



39^ SEVENTH REPORT OF THE FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. 

species will often leap 5 or 6 feet out of the water, and its habit of jumping over 
the cork lines of seines has given it the name of " Jumper." 

In cold weather the I?ass seeks deep places, often hibernating under rocks, 
sunken logs and in the mud. Favorite localities are under overhanging and brush- 
covered banks, in the summer, and among aquatic plants, where th(; fish lies in wait 
for its prey. 

The spawning season of the Large-mouthed Bass is about the same as that of the 
Small-mouthed species, beginning in v\pril and lasting till July. Its eggs are 
adhesive, sticking to stones during the incubation period, which last from one to 
two weeks according to the temperature of the water. The young Bass remain in 
the nest a week or 10 days, and at the age of two weeks will measure about -)^ of an 
inch in length. In suitable waters it is estimated that the Large-mouthed Bass will 
weigh at the age of three years from 2 pounds to 4 pounds. 

The Oswego Bass is even more destructive to fish than J/, doloinicu. It will eat 
any fish which it can manage to get into its mouth and will lie on the bottom for 
days so gorged that it cannot stir. In voracity it is only equaled, but hardly 
excelled by the Pike. This Bass bears captivity well. (After Eugene Smith.*) 

The young above referred to as coming from Caledonia, N. Y., hibernated and 
took scarcely any food during the winter, but fed ravenously in spring, summer, and 
fall. They proved very hardy in captivity. 

107. Pike Perch ; Pike; Wall-eyed Pike {Sti.zoslcdion vitrcum Mitchill). 

Pcrca vitrca Mitchill, Am. Month. .Mag., II, 247, Feb. 1818, Cayuga Lake, N. Y. 
Liicioperca americaiia DeK.-\v, N. V. Fauna, Fishes, 17, pi. 50, fig. 163, 1842. 
Liuioperca vitrea Eugene Smith, Proc. Linn. See. N. Y. 1897, 38, 1898. 
Stizostedion vitretim Meek, Ann. N. Y. .\v.. .Sci., IV, 314, 1888; Bean, Fishes Penna., 127, 

color ]5l. 13, 1893; Jordan & Ever.m.\nn, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 1021, 1896, ])1. 

CLXIV, fig. 433, 1900; Bean, Bull. Am. Mus. N.Tt. Mist., IX, 364, 1S97. 

The Pike Perch belongs to the genus Stizostedion, which has been distinguished 
from the Saugers by the structure of its pyloric ca;ca, which are three in number, 
nearly equal in size, and about as long as the stomach, and also by the presence of 
21 soft rays in the second dorsal, while the Saugers have 18. It may be remarked 
that all of these characters are more or less variable. 

The Pike Perch has received a great many common names. One of the most 
unsuitable is " Susquehanna Salmon," which is used in Pennsylvania. In the Eastern 



* Proc. Linn. Soc. N. V. No. 9, p. 36, 1897. 



THE FOOD AXn CAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 



399 



States the species is styled the Perch Pike or the Pike Percli, Glasseye and Wall-eyed 
Pike. In the (ireat Lakes region it is known as Blue Pike, Yellow Pike, Green Pike 
and Grass Pike. In the Ohio Valley and Western North Carolina it is the Jack ; in 
Lake Erie and Canada, the Pickerel : in some parts of the (.)hi(3 Valley, the White 
Salmon or Jack Salmon. The Cree Indians call it the okiK^' and the French Cana- 
dians do)-c or picarcl. Among the fur traders of British America it is called the 
Hornfish. 

The Pike' Perch or Wall-eyed Pike inhabits the Great Lakes region and extends 
northward into British America, where it has been recorded as far as 58° north by 
Dr. Richardson. It ranges south in the Mississippi Valley to Arkansas, and in 
Atlantic streams to Georgia. According to Dr. Meek the species is found in Cayuga 
Lake, but is not common. In Lake Champlain it is one of the principal game fishes. 
James Annin, Jr., of Caledonia, obtained specimens in the Canandaigua Lake region. 
It has been introduced into numer(jus lakes by the Fisheries, Game and Forest Com- 




PIKF, PF,RCH. 



mission of New York. The U. S. Fish Commission secured examples in the Oswego 
River at Oswego and at Point Breeze in August, 1894. 

This species is said to reach a weight of 50 pounds, but the average weight of the 
market specimens is less than 5 pounds. In the Susquehanna it occasionally reaches 
10 pounds or upward in weight. The Pike Perch feeds on the bottom on other 
fishes, and has been charged even with destroying its own young. It prefers clear 
and rapid waters, and lurks under submerged logs and rocks, from \\liich it can 
readily dart on its prey. Spawning takes place in April and May, and in Pennsyl- 
vania continues till June. Favorite spawning localities are on sandy bars in shallow 
water. The period of hatching varies from about 14 to 30 days, depending on the 
temperature of the water. The eggs vary from about 17 to 25 to the inch, and a 
single female has been estimated to contain from 200,000 to 300,000. In a state of 
nature only a small percentage of the eggs are hatched out ; the greater proportion 



400 SEVEXTII REPORT OF THE FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. 

arc driven on the lake sliores by storms or devoured by fishes on the spawning beds. 
The number of Pike Perch annually hatched b_\- artificial methods is enormous. This 
ad\-ance is due to improvements in the treatment of adhesive eggs. Formerly these 
were hatched b\^ placing them on glass plates, to which they readily adhere. Recently 
it has been found that the sticky substance can be washed off the eggs, after which 
they are placetl in jars and hatched like eggs of the Shad and Whitefish. 

"Dexter," in /-'ori'sf and Strcdiii, .August 14, iSgo, makes the following statement 
about the habits of this species in the lakes. These fish run up the rivers before or 
as soon as the ice is out, and after spawning lie off the rivers' mouth feeding on and 
off the sand flats, as the spring rains bring down plenty of worms, and probably 
other matter which the_\- feed on. As soon as the water gets warm, the_\- sag off and 
work along the shores in 10 to 30 feet of water, preferring cobbly bottom ; from 
here they go into very deep water, coming on the reefs to feed, and when the wind 
blows ver\- hard, or for a day or so after a big blow, yo\i will find them right on top 
of a reef. I think the winil changes the water o\'er the reefs, making a new current 
and cooler water, so they come up to feed. They are a bottom fish, and to fish for 
them successfully one must go to the bottom for them. They are nearly as particu- 
lar as Salmon Trout about tlie water they inhabit and conseciuently rank very high 
as a food fish, being white, solid and extremely free from bones. 

Color olivaceous, mingled with brassy; sides of the head vermiculated ; the dor- 
sals, caudal and pectoral with bands ; those of the dorsals and caudal not continuous; 
sides with about seven oblique dark bands, differing in direction : a jet black blotch 
on the membrane behind the last spine of the dorsal. 

The colors of the Pike Perch change remarkably with age. The young have 
oblique dark bands much like those of tlie Kiiigfish of our east coast, and bear little 
resemblance in the pattern of coloration to the jjarent. The e_\'e of the li\'ing fish 
is like a glowing emerald. The rate of growth must be rapid. In July, 1888, we 
took examples from 4 to C inches long, some of which seemed to be the young of 
the year. 

This is one of the finest food and game fishes of the United States. Its flesh is 
firm and white, flaky and well flavored. Commercially the species ranks high in the 
Great Lakes region, being next in importance to the W^hitefish. In angling for the 
Pike Perch live Minnows are used in preference to all other baits, particularly such 
as are more or less transparent anil with silvery sides, as the Fallfish or Dace, the 
Corporal Roach, the Redfin and the Gudgeon. On some parts of the Susquehanna, 
between Columbia and llarrisburg, the favorite mode of capture is by trolling with 
the spoon with tiie same kind of tackle as is used for the Black Bass. 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW VOKK. 4OI 

In November of 1896 and 1897, Mr. Annin shipped adult individuals from Canan- 
daigua Lake by express without an attendant, and there was scarcely any loss of fish 
in transportation, though the journey lasts 12 hours. 

The Blue Pike of Lake Erie, or White Salmon of the Ohio River, was formerly 
distinguished byname from the common Pike Perch, but is now considered unworthy 
of a separate name. This is a very small variety seldom exceeding 15 inches in 
length and a weight of 2 pounds. The dorsal has 14 spines and 20 rays. The spines 
are rather lower than in the Pike Perch, the coloration similar, but the adult is 
bluish or greenish and has no brassy mottling. The fins are darker, and there is a 
trace of a band along the dorsal, besides the black blotcii on the hind portion. 

Jordan. & Evermann say of this variety: " The name saliiunicuui has been applied 
to the so-called ' Blue Pike ' originally described from the Ohio River, but more 
common in the Great Lakes, particularly Ontario and Erie. It is smaller and 
deeper in body than the ordinary vitrcum and different in color, but it is not likely 
that any permanent distinctions exist, this species, as usual among fresh-water fishes, 
varying largely with the environment and with age." 

108. Sauger ; Sand-Pike {Stizostcdioit caiiadciisc Smith). 

Liiciopcrca canaJciisis DeKav, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 19, pi. 68, fig, 221, 1842 (e.\tra- 

limitdl). 
Stizostt'dioii canadcjise Meek, Ann. N. Y. Ac. Sci., IV, 314, 1888 ; Bean, Fishes Penna., 

130, pi. 34, fig. 70, 1893 ; Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 1022, 

1896, pi. CLXIV, fig. 434, 1900. 

Color olivaceous above ; sides brassy or pale orange, mottled with black in the 
form of irregular dark blotches, which are best defined under the soft dorsal. The 
spinous dorsal has several rows of round black spots on the membrane between 
the spines ; no black blotch on the hind part of the spinous dorsal. Pectorals with 
a large dark blotch at base : soft dorsal with several rows of dark spots irregularly 
placed ; caudal yellowish with dark spots forming interrupted bars. 

The Sauger is known also as Sand Pike, Gray Pike and Green Pike, Pickering, 

Pickerel and Horse P'ish. It is found in the St. Lawrence River and Great Lakes 

region, the upper Mississippi and Missouri Ri\'ers and in the Ohio, where it is said 

to liave been introduced from the lakes through canals. This is a small fish, 

seldom exceeding 18 inches in length, and embraces several varieties. It is very 

common in the Great Lakes and is abundant in the Ohio River. It is doubtful 

whether it is native to Ohio or introduced. It is also found rarely in Cayuga Lake. 
26 



402 SKVENTII REPORT OF THE FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. 

Rev. Zadock Thompson, in his History of \'criHont, says it is mucli less common in 
Lake Champlain than the Pike I'eich, but is frequently taken in company with it. 
It usuall)' swims very near the bottom of the water, and hence it has received tlie 
name of Ground Pike (Pike Perch). As an article of food this species is locally 
held in the same high esteem as the common Pike Perch. 

John W. Titcomb of St. Johnsbury, Vt., informed Evermann and Kendall that 
the Sanger, or Rock Pike, as it is locally called, is caught in seines while fishing 
for the Pike Perch. It does not grow as large as the latter, and is not much 
valued as a food fish. The authors mentioned received two examples of the fish 
from .\. L. Collins, of .Swanton, Vt., one of them a nearly ripe female 14'i inches 
long, weighing three-fourths of a pound, the other an unripe male 15 inches long, 
weighing three-fourths of a pound. These specimens were believed to indicate that 
the Sauger spawns earlier than the Pike Perch. The stomach of the male contained 
a three-inch Minnow, too badly digested for identification, and a number of small 
insects. 

It is very e.xtensively used for food, but is not generalh" considered equal to the 
Pike Perch. 

109 Gray Pike ; Sauger ; Sand Pike iStizostcdiou caiiadotsc grisciiiu DeKay). 

Liiiioperca gr/sea DeKav, N. V. Fauna, Fishes, 19, 1842, Cireat Lakes; streams and 
inland lakes of Western New York. 

Stizostedion (anadensf griseiiiii Jordan \' Ever.m.\nn, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 1022, 
1896. 

This is the common Sand Pike or .Sanger of the Great Lakes region and south- 
westward. It differs from the typical caiiadcnsc chiefly in the smoother opercles 
and head bones, the fewer opercular spines, and the less complete scaling of the 
head. The two need fuller comparison and may prove to be distinct species, but 
this is unlikel\-. Len<.fth, 10 to iS inches. 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 



403 



iio. Yellow Perch ; Ring Perch {Pcna flavcsccns Mitchill). 

Moronc fiavescfiis Mitchill, Report in I'art, 18, 1814. 

Bodianiis flavescens Mitchill, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N, Y., 1, 421, 1815. 

Perca serrato-graniilata DeK.w, N. \ . Fauna, Fishes, 5, pi. 22, tig. 64, 1842 

Perca granulata DeKay, op. cit. 5, \^\. 68, fig. 220, 1842. 

Pcna acuta DeKay, op. cit. 6, pi. 68, fig. 222, 1842. 

J'crca i^raci/is DeKay, op. cit. 6, 1842. 

Perca Jfavcscciis DeKav, op. cit. 3, pi. i, fig. i, 1842; Meek, Ann. N. Y. Ac. Sci., IV, 
314, 1888; Bean, Fishes Penna., 126, color pi. 12, 1893; Evermann & Kendall, 
Rept. U. S. F. C for 1894, 602, 1896; Jordan & Ever.mann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. 
Mus., 1023, 1896, pi. CLXV, fig. 435, 1900; Bean, Bull. Am. Mas. Nat. Hist., IX, 
365, 1897; Mearns, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., X, 320, 1898; Eugene Smith, Proc. 
Linn. Soc. N. Y. 1897, 37, i8g8. 







\ I LlOW PERCH. 



The Yellow Perch, Ringed Perch, or Striped Pcrcli is found throughout the 
Great Lakes region, rivers and ponds of New England and northwestward, and in 
streams east of the AUcghanies soutli to Georgia. It does not occur in the Ohio 
Valley or southwest, though, after the construction of the Oliio Canal, Kirtland 
recorded it from the Ohio Ri\-er. In 1790 Dr. Mitciiill transferred some of them 
from Ronkonkoma to Success Pond, a distance of 40 miles, where they soon multi- 
plied. In 1825 Yellow Perch were transported from Skaneateles to Otisco Lake and 
Onondaga Lake ; in the latter they increased remarkably. In Otsego Lake DeKay 
caught some weighing nearly 3 pounds. Meek states that the species is common 
throughout the Cayuga Lake basin. Evermann and Bean took it in the St. Law- 
rence River, 3 miles below Ogdensburg; also in Scioto Creek, Coopersville, N. Y., 
July 19, 1894, young specimens i^ to 1^4 inches long. 



404 sKVH.Ni'ii ki:i'i)Rr ui' riii: fokkst, fish and came commission. 

The Yellow Perch is one of the most abundant fishes of Lake Champlain and in 
the mouths of rivers falling into that lake. 

The fish abounds in the parks of New York and Brooklyn. In the Hudson 
Highlands Dr. Mearns reported it as abundant in the Hudson as well as in all of the 
larger mountain lakes and ponds. It habitually frequents Poplopen's Creek from 
its source to its mouth. In the Hudson, he was informed, it is unusual to take 
specimens weigliing more than i pound ; but in Poplopen's Pond he has taken a 
number that weighed about 2 pounds each. In the same pond Jerome Deuna 
caught two which weighed 2^ to 3 pounds each ; and a fisherman named Samuel 
Runnels assured Dr. Mearns that he had taken a Yellow Perch there which weighed 
4'4. pounds. The fish continue to feed in that region throughout the winter. 
Eugene Smith obtained the fish in Greenwood Lake, Orange County, and in Hack- 
ensack streams, in Rockland County. 

The species reaches a length of i foot and weight of 2 pounds. It is one of 
the best known of our food fishes and has excellent game qualities. Its flesh, how- 
ever, is rather soft and coarse and is far inferior to that of the Black Bass and other 
members of the Sunfish family. It is a voracious feeder, its food consisting of small 
fishes, crustaceans and other animal matter. 

The Yellow Perch spawns early in the spring. The eggs are adhesive and enclosed 
in thin translucent strips of adhesive mucus. The spawning of this species was 
described by William P. Seal in Forrs/ and Strc-aiii of April 17, 1890. The spawning 
season extends from December to y\pril. Mr. Seal describes the egg mass as having 
the shape of a long tube, closetl at the ends and arranged in folds like the bellows of 
an accordion. Wlien fcjlded the mass was about 8 to 12 inches long, but was capable 
of being drawn out to a length of 3 or 4 feet. Spawning in the aquarium took 
place at night and was observed b_\- William Maynard, who describes it as follows: 
"The female remained quiet in one spot on the bottom of one of the hatching 
aquaria tanks, one or more of the males hovering over and about lier with pectoral 
fins vibrating with intense acti\it\-. The males would at times lie close alongside of 
her and at other times endeavor to force themselves under her with the evident 
intention of assisting in the extrusion of the eggs." Mr. Seal remarks that " the roe 
when taken from the dead fish not \-et ripe is in a single compact mass, covered by a 
thin membrane ; but in spawning the mass separates, one side being spawned before 
the other." This was noticed in a specimen which had spawned one side and 
appeared to be unable to get rid of the other. It was stripped from her and arti- 
ficially fertilized successfully. Mr. Seal believes that the Yellow Perch spawns at the 
age of one year. 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 



405 



The Yellow Perch thrives moderately in captivity, though susceptible to attacks 
of fungus, which are easily overcome by the use of brackish water. 



III. White Bass {Rocr/ts c/irysops Rafinesque). 

Labrax alhiJiis DeKw, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 13, pi. 51, fig. 165, 1843, Buffalo. 

Rocciis chrysops Bean, Fishes Penna., 132, pi. 34, fig. 71, 1893; KuU. Am. Mus. Nat. 
Hist., IX, 365, 1897; JoRD.^N & EvERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 1132, 1896, 
pi. CLXXX, fig. 477, 1900; Eugene Smith, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. Y., 1897, 38, 1898. 

General color silvery, tinged with golden on sides; eight or more blackish 
longitudinal streaks on sides, those below more or less interrupted. 




WHITE BASS. 

The following measurements were taken from a specimen obtained by Mr. James 
Annin, Jr., in Oneida Lake, September 4, 1896: 

INCHES. 

E.Ktreme length, - . _ . \2\i 

Length to end of middle caudal rays, ------- ui^ 

Length to end of scales, - 10 

Depth of body, - . . , ^ 

Least depth of caudal peduncle, -----... ji^ 

Length of head, -------.... / 

Length of snout, - - - . y^ 

Diameter of eye, ------..... 9/^^ 

Length of fourth dorsal spine, iS^ 

Length of second dorsal ray, ii/ 

Length of second anal ray, ----..... js/ 
Weight, 16^ ounces. 



406 SKVKXTII KErORT OK I'llK FOREST, FISH AM) GAME COMMISSION. 

The White Bass is sometimes called Striped liass, and is jirobably the Silver 
Bass of Canada. Its center of abundance is the Great Lakes region, but it is also 
widely distributed over the Ohio and Mississippi Valleys. In Pennsylvania the 
species is found in Lake I'^rie and in the tributaries of the Ohio Ri\-er. The L^ S. 
l^'ish Commission secured three specimens at Horse Island, Sackett's Harbor, 
N. v., June 30. The New Jersey Fish Commission has introduced the fish into 
Greenwood Lake. 

The Wiiite Bass weighs from l to 3 pounds, and its flesli is considered almost if 
not equally as good as that of the ]51ack Bass. It prefers the deeper parts of rivers 
and thrives best in lakes and ponds, hi April and Ma_\' tlie_\' leave the deeper 
waters and go in near shore or to the mouths of rivers where they spawn. The 
spawning period is in May and June. 

The White Bass feeds upon Minnows, Crawfish and other fresh-water crustaceans, 
also minute moUusks or shellfish, and it is said to devour many young Whitefish 
upon the spawning grounds of that species. 

It is a game fish and affords good sport to the angler. 

112. Striped Bass; Rock fish iKoii/is liin-atus Bloch). 

Jiocriis striatiis Mitchii.i,, Rept. Fish. N, V. 25, 1814. 

Prrui mitchilli .Mrrciiii.i,, Trans. Lit. cV Phil. .Sof. X. Y.. I, 413, pi. Ill, fig. 4, 1815. 

Pfiiit iiiitihilli altcniata .MrrcHti.i., Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y., I. 415, 1815. 

Perca mitchilli intcrnipta MrrcHii.i., Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y., I, 415, 1815. 

Labrax lineatiis DeKay, N. \". Fauna, Fishes, 7, pi. i, fig. 3, 1842. 

Roccus lineatus Bf,.\n', 19th Kept. Conim. Fish, X. ^■., 267, pi. XYIII, fig. 22, 1890; Fishes 
Penna., 131, color pi, 14, 1893; jSull, Am, Mus, Nat. Hist., IX, 365, 1897; Joru.\n 
& EvERMANN, Bull. 47, U. .S. Nat. Mus,, 1132, 1S96, pi, CLXXX, fig, 478, 1900; 
Eugene Smith, I'roc, Linn. Soc. N. Y. 1S97, 38, 1898; Me.\kxs, P.ull. Am, Mus, 
Nat. Hist., X, 321, T898; H. M. S.mith, Hull. V . S. F. C, for 1897, 99, 1898; Bean, 
52d ,\nn. Rept, N, \", State Mus., 105, 1900. 

Sides greenish above, silvery below, sometimes \\\\.\\ a brassy lustre and marked 
by seven or eight longitudinal streaks none of which are lialf as wide as the eye, one 
of them ])assing along the lateral line ; the lowermost stripe is somewhat below the 
miildle of the depth. 

In tile southern United .States from New Jersey to Florida the Striped Bass is 
known as the Rock or Rockfish. In the Northern States the name .Striped Bass is 
more generally used than the other, especially .ilong the coast. In the Delaware, 
Susquehanna and Potomac Ri\-ers it is called Rockfish. Green Head and Sepiid 



THE FOOD AND GAiVIK FISIIKS OF NEW YORK. 



407 



Hound are names applied to large individuals found in the sea in New England 
waters. One of the old names of the fish is Streaked Bass. 

Rock fish and Striped Bass, according to Schoepff (1787), are among the early 
New York names for this highly prized species. Dr. Mitchill (1814) calls it MitchilTs 
Perch, Striped Basse and Rock fish. DeKay describes it as the Striped Sea Bass. 
Streaked Bass is another name in use in 1815, and a very interesting account of the 
fish under this name is published by Dr. James Mease in the first volume of the 
Transactions of the Literary and Pliilosopliical Society of Nczu York. Dr. Mease in this 
article states that Rock fish weighing from 25 pounds to 60 pounds are called Green- 
heads. At the time of his writing, the fishing ground for the Philadelphia and New 
York markets was between Long. Branch and Cranberry Inlet, an extent of about 
thirty miles, and the great places of winter resort were Motetecunk, 30 miles from 
Long Branch, and the rivers of Elk and Egg Harbor. 




STRIPF.D BASS. 



The range of the Striped Bass or Rockfish includes the entire Atlantic coast 
from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the Gulf of Mexico, the fish entering rivers and 
ascending them long distances. In the Alabama River this fish is known to be 
taken every year and some large individuals have been obtained from that stream. 
It-has been captured also in the lower Mississippi. It is very abundant in the great 
bays and sounds from North Carolina to Cape Cod. In Albermarle Sound many 
large individuals are said to occur. In the St. John's River, Florida, according to 
Dr. Goode, the fish is rather rare. In the vicinity of Pensacola the late Silas Stearns 
occasionally obtained a specimen of the fish. 

The Striped Bass has been introduced into California and has now become fairly 
acclimated there. In the Delaware and Susquehanna Rivers this is one of the com- 
mon fishes and it is one of the most highly esteemed. 

This is a permanent resident of Gravesend Bay, but the height of the fishery 
occurs from Oct(iber 10 to Nox-ember 10. Large fish, up to 45 pounds, are caught 



408 SKVEXTII KKTOKT OF THE FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. 

ill May, but tlic fall fish range from 9 inches to 24 inches in length. In Great South 
Bay the writer has obtained specimens at Blue Point Cove, Great River, Nichols's 
Point, and off Widow's Creek. A great haul was made on Lone Hill Middleground 
about the midtlle of October, 1901. The fish remains in some of the tributaries of 
Great South Ba_\- throughout the year. y\ccordingto Dr. Mcarns the species is taken 
in great numbers in nets set through the ice of the Hudson in winter, and in drift 
nets by shad fishermen in spring. Large individuals of 60 i^ounds and upward are 
sometimes caught in the winter and early spring. He once took a specimen a little 
above the estuary of Poplopen's Creek, in fresh water. 

At the time of Dr. Mitchill's report the greatest run occurred late in the fall, and 
the great hauls were made during the coldest season, including some very large fish. 
He saw, however, a dozen at a time weighing 50 pounds each in New York market 
during very mild weather, in early October. 

This fish lives in the sea or in brackish or fresh water indifferently and it has been 
successfully kept in artificial ponds. In cold, northern waters it becomes ice bound 
occasionally and is said to hibernate. It prefers cold water, is carnivorous and pre- 
daceous, feeding upon small fislies in the streams, consuming especially large quanti- 
ties of the Alewife or River Herring and the young of the .Shad. In the shallow 
bays along the coasts its food consists of Killitish, .Silversitles, Anciiovies, Lant and 
other small fishes, besides crabs, squid, clams, mussels and other marine inverte- 
brates. Its movements while feeding depend greatly upon the tides. It is to be 
found frequently at the mouths of small creeks and in tideways, where it lies in wait 
for the large schools of small fishes, which constitute its food. 

The largest Striped Bass recorded was said to weigh 112 pounds. At Avoca, 
North Carolina, Dr. Capehart took a Striped Bass weighing 95 pounds. It reaches 
a length of 4}4 or 5 feet. 

Spawning takes place from April to June, either in the rivers or in the brackish 
waters of bays and sounds. Eggs have been hatched artificially in May on Albermarle 
Sound. Dr. Capehart took a 58-pound spawning fish April 22, 1891. The eggs are 
smaller than those of the .Shad, and after fertilization the)- increase greatly in size 
and become light green in color. This 58-pound fish probabh' contained more than 
one-half million eggs. Dr. Abbott has found the young an inch long in the Delaware 
the second week in June, and by the middle of October some of these had grown to 
a length of 4'i inches. The Striped Bass has been kept in a small pool of fresh 
water and fed upon crabs and oysters, increasing in about eleven months from 6 
inches in length to 20 inches. In the aquarium the species is hardy and grows 
rapidly; it can be ke[)t in good condition almost indefinitely. In a Rhode Island 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 4O9 

pond it is stated that Bass weighing ■< pound to i pound in June had reached a 
weight of 6 pounds in the following October. 

In fre!-h water, salted eel tail is a favorite bait for taking Striped Bass, and the 
spoon or spinner is also a good lure, but live Minnows are preferred to all other 
baits. For surf fishing shedder crab well fastened to the hook is a very killing bait. 

113. White Perch [Moi-ohl- ai/tcricattn Gmelin). 

Moronc rufa Mitchill, Rept. Fish. N. Y., 18, 1814, New York. 

Morone pallida Mitchill, Rept. Fish. N. Y., 18, 1814, New York. 

Bodianus rufiis Mitchill, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y., I, 420, 1815. 

Labrax riifiis DeKay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 9, pi. 3, fig. 7, 1842. 

Labrax pallidus DeKay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 11, pi. i, fig. 2, 1842. 

Labrax nigricans DeKay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 12, pi. 50, fig. 160, 1842. 

Roccus americanus Beax, 19th Rept. Comm. F'ish. N. Y., 268, pi. XIX, fig. 23, 1890. 

Morone americana Bean, Fishes Penna., 133, pi. 15, 1893; Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 

47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 1 134, 1896, pi. CLXXXI, fig. 479, 1900; Bean, Bull. Am. Mus. 

Nat. Hist., IX, 366, 1897; Mearns, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., X, 321, 1898; 

Eugene Smith, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. Y., 1897, 39, 1S98; H. M. Smith, Bull. U. S. F. 

C, 1897, 99, 189S; Bean, 52d Ann. Rept. N. Y. State Mus., 105, 1900. 

This is the Perch or River Perch of Schoepff, which he records as an inhabitant 
of the coasts of New York and Long Island, in and at the mouths of fresh-water 
streams. Dr. Mitchill (181 5) gives it the name of Red Perch, and states that when 
not in the breeding season it is called Black Perch because its colors are browner 
and darker. DeKay describes it, in the Fislics of Nciv York, as the Ruddy Bass. 
In Great Egg Harbor Bay individuals taken from salt water are sometimes called 
Yellow Perch or Peerch. 

The species is found from Nova Scotia to South Carolina, and inhabits both salt 
and fresh water. Mitchill saw specimens 14 inches long and nearly 5 inches deep, 
from Quag, Long Island. There is an important winter fishery for the White Perch 
at Bellport. It is taken in seines and gill nets. The writer has occasionally found 
this species in \'arious parts of Great South Bay, for example, at Smith's Point, 
Whale House Hole, Swan River, also in the east end of Shinnecock Bay, in the 
fresh water of Head of Creek, near Southampton. The fishermen affirm that when 
its feeding grounds are disturbed by seining the fish suddenly leave the locality. 
The White Perch is never plentiful in Gravesend Bay ; it is abundant in fresh-water 
lakes of Central Park, New York, and Prospect Park, Brooklyn. Near Montauk, 
Long Island, the species is abundant and reaches a large size. Eugene Smith has 



410 .sK\'K.\iii KKi'oRT OK riip; i()Ki:si', Kisii ANM) c;amk commission. 

fouiui it common in braci^isii \v;Ulm's near New York, where it occurs all the year; 
he had it also from fresh water. iMearns states that it remains in the Hudson 
throughout the )-ear and is taken in abundance in winter in nets set throu^di the ice. 
In Oscawana Lake, Putnam Count}-, individual:; \\'eighiny; 2 or 3 pounds were 
reported to him. 

In the vicinity of Woods Hole, Mass., the fish is abundant in fresh-water ponds 
connected with salt water. 

It is said that the White Perch formerly extended south to Florida and the Gulf 
of Mexico, but this is discredited by competent observers. The Perch of Lake 
I'onchartrain is very likely the species now known in many portions of the Western 
States as the I'resh-wateT Drum, Aplodi)iotus i^rhiiiiicns. 

The averajje length of the White Perch is about 9 inches and its weight 'i pound 
or less, but numerous specimens measuring 14 inches and weighing 2 pounds or more 
have been taken, especially in New England waters. 




WMIIK PERCH. 



At the time of Dr. Mitchill's writing the species was a favorite in New York 
markets, and it is now one of the best known species although probably not ranking 
among the choicest kinds. 

Thad. Norris was one of tiie most earnest supporters of the White Perch, and 
has publisheil interesting observations concerning its habits. Comparatively little, 
however, is known about its life. It is an associate of the Striped Bass, and, accord- 
ing to Dr. Abbott, resembles this species in its feetling habits. It differs from the 
Striped H.iss in its teiulenc)- to seek warm waters. 

The White Perch is a lover of l)rackisli water, and may be found in tidal creeks 
in wist numbers associated with Mummichogs, .SiKersides and Kels, feeding ii[)on 
Shrimp antl .Minnows. Spawning takes place in May antl June. According to Pro- 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 41 1 

fessor John A. Ryder, the egg of the White Perch is very adhesive, and on this 
account is troublesome to hatch artificially. In the experiments made by him the 
eggs were taken upon cotton yarn, which was drawn up through a funnel into which 
the eggs and milt had been squeezed from the spawning fish. The cord, covered 
with the adhering eggs, was then wrapped upon a wooden reel and sent under cover 
of damp cloths to the central station, where they arrived in fine condition, almost 
every egg being impregnated. This system was devised and carried out under the 
superintendence of Col. M. McDonald. After reaching the central station the cotton 
cord with the adhering eggs was cut into lengths of 10 or 12 inches and suspended 
in the glass hatching jars. The development was soon interfered with by the growth 
of fungus. When the wooden reel with the adhering eggs was introduced into a 
wide aquarium fungus also attacked the eggs as before but the results were some- 
what more favorable. With the water at 58° to 60° F. the eggs hatched out in 6 
days. 

The White Perch congregates in large schools and is one of the freest biters 
among fishes. The shrimp is one of the best baits, though worms, sturgeon eggs, 
Minnows and strips of cut fish with silvery skin are equally effective. Dr. Abbott 
has known as many as 20 dozen to be taken with a line in a few hours, and Spangler 
mentions catches of six or seven hundred in a day by two rods, the fish ranging in 
weight from ^ to i ^ pounds. 

Eugene Smith, on several occasions, found a long, green, brackish-water alga 
{jEnteroinorplia) in stomachs of White Perch, indicating that they sometimes eat 
vegetable matter, though perhaps only for the minute organisms found upon it. 

In captivity the fish is very susceptible to fungus attacks, but the parasite is 
readily killed by changing the water supply from salt to fresh, or vice versa. 

114. Sea Bass ; Black Fish {Ccntropristcs stnatus Linnceus). 

Perca varia Mitchill, Rept. Fish. N. Y., 11, 1814 ; Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y., I, 415, 

pi. 3, fig. 6, 1 815, New York. 
Centropristes nigricans Y)Y.Y^k\\ N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 24, pi. 2, fig. 6, 1842; Bean, 19th 

Rept. Comm. Fish. N. Y., 266, pi. XVII, fig. 21, 1S90. 
Ccntropristcs striata^ Joru.an & Eigenm.\nn, Bull. U. S. F. C, VIII, 391, pi. 64, 1890; 

J0RD.\N & EvERM.\X-\, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 1199, 1S96, pi. CXC, fig. 500, 

1900; Bean, Bull. .\m. Mus. Nat. Hist., IX, 366, 1897; H. M. S.mith, Bull. U. S. F. 

C, 1897, 100, 1898; Bean, 52d Ann. Rept. N. Y. State Mus., 105, 1900. 

Dusky brown or black, adults often bluish, more or less mottled, with traces of 
pale longitudinal streaks along the rows of scales; young greenish, often with a dark 



412 SliVENTH REl'OKT OF THE FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. 



lateral band, sometimes broken up forming cross-bars; dorsal fin with several series 
of elongate, whitish spots, forming interrujited lines ; other fins dusky, mottled. 

The Sea Bass is the Pcrca varia of Mitchill, Fish. N. Y. p. 4.15. Common names 
given by this autlior arc Sea Basse, Black-Harry, Hanna Hills and Blue fish. 
Schoepff (1787) gives the New York name as Black fish ; DeKay has it as the Black 
Sea Bass, also Black Bass and Black fish. Dr. Storer records the Massachusetts name 
of Black Perch. Other common names on the coast are Black Will (Middle States) 
and Rock Bass (New Bedford). 

The Sea Bass is found from Vineyard Sound southward, its southern limit not 
being accurately determined, but probabh- not extending below Cape Hatteras. 
The southern form, which was described by Linnaeus from South Carolina, may be 
distinct from the northern, and if so it should be designated by the Linnasn name 
atraria. 




''■^^^^^g^ 



-m 



The northern form has been found occasionally north of Cape Cod, at Nahant, 
Salem, and Beverly Bar. Dr. Smith reported it as very common at Woods Hole in 
1898, where it arrives in May and departs from the inshore waters about October i, 
being most abundant fmrn July to September. It spawns there in June. The 
young are first seen about y\ugust i. The maximum weight is 6 pounds. In 1900 
the Sea Bass was said to be remarkably scarce at Woods Hole. According to the 
observers of the Fish Commission this fish is decreasing rapidly in numbers. Hand- 
lining, even on the spawning grounds ofT Hyannis was remarkably poor and young 
fish were less numerous than usual. As a rule the first adults appear in their sea- 
sonal migration during the first or second week in May, when the water has reached 
a temperature of 48^ to 50° F. However, in spite of the cold of 1900, they appeared 
at Cuttyhunk and Menemsha Bight on April 28 — with one exception the earliest 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 413 

arrival recorded in 25 years. Formerly the young were abundant everywhere, but 
at present they are restricted to a few localities — Katama Bay, Quisset Harbor and 
VVareham River. The first fry were seined July 31 and measured X^ of an inch in 
length. On October 20, young fish 2 to 3 inches long were very plentiful in 
Katama 15ay. 

In 1S84 the writer obtained young examples only, and these in moderate 
numbers, at Fire Lsland near the end of September. In 1890 a few individuals were 
observed in a net at Islip. In 1898, adults were taken in abundance off shore at 
Southampton in August and half-grown specimens were secured from a pound at 
Islip. Young Sea Bass were rather common at Point of Woods, Great South 
Bay, Clam Pond Cove, Fire Island Inlet, Oak Island Beach, and Nichols's Point. 
In the summer of 1901, early July to the middle of October, only a few young 
individuals were taken, and these were secured in eel pots off Widow's Creek, Great 
South Bay. 

The Sea Bass makes its appearance in Gravesend Bay in May. It is not 
abundant. The )'oung in October are found in the eel grass, measuring from i jX to 
2 inches in length. The species is well adapted to life in aquarium tanks during all 
but the coldest months. 

The Sea Bass is distinguished for its voracity and its persistent biting. The 
young are found in the channels of shallow bays and about wharves and landings. 
Large fish frequent the off-shore banks where the bottom is rocky. A famous 
locality is Five Fathom Bank, off the coast of New Jersey. In the shallow waters 
of Great Egg Harbor Bay, hundreds of small-sized Sea Bass may be taken in a day, 
and it is difficult to find a locality which is free from them, Their food consists of 
shrimps, crabs, sea worms, squid, small fishes and all other animals of suitable size. 
The species is sluggish in its habits and resembles the Tautog in its tendency to hide 
in rock crevices. The Sea Bass breeds in the summer months and the young grow 
rapidly. The eggs ha\'e been hatched artifically, and when it becomes desirable the 
fry can be produced in vast quantities. The eggs are /Ca of an inch in diameter and 
hatch in 5 days in water at the temperature of 59° or 60° 1'. At Woods Hole, Mass., 
they are deposited in June. 

This is a valuable food fish, reaching a length of 18 inches and the weight of 6 
pounds. 



414 SKVKXTII REPORT OK TIIK l-ORKST, ITSH AM) OAMK COMMISSION. 



115. Flasher; Triple-tail (Lobotcs sKrinaiuciisis Bloch). 

Holocentrus SKriiiaiiiciisis Bloch, Ichth., pi. 243, 1790, Surinam. 

Bodianiis triiinis .MircHiLl., Tran.s. Lit. X: Pliil. Soc, I, 418, jil. Ill, fig. 10, 1815, Powles 

Hook, N. J. 
Lohotes auctorum GUnther, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus., I, 338, 1859. 
Lobotes surinamensis Cuvier & Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss., V, 319, 1830; DeKav, 

N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 88, pi. 18, fig. 49, 1S42, Now York; Holbrook, Ichth. S. C, ed. 

I, 159, \)\. 23, fig. 2, 1856; Jordan & C'.ilbekt, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 555, 1883; 

Jordan & Ever.mann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 1235, 1896, pi. CXCIV, fig. 510, 

1900; H. M. Smith, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, 100, 1898; Sherwood & Edwards, 

Bull. U. S. F. C. 1901, 28, 1901, Narragansett Bay. 



■yfvy^. 







Sl?:5'#'^^f ;C.^. . \-^^<^ 




Blackish above, silvery gray on the sides, often blotched and tinged with yellow; 
fins dusky gray, sometimes mingled with yellow. 

The Flasher is a large species, found in all warm seas, ranging on our coast from 
Cape Cod to Panama ; it reaches the length of 3 feet and is used for food. At 
Woods Hole, according to Dr. .Smitlr, it is vcr\- rarely taken. Specimens were 
secured, however, in August, 1873, December, 1875, September 20, 1886, and in 
August, i8go. The individual obtained in 1886 was caught in a trap at Menemsha, 
Martha's Vineyard. The Rhode Island Fish Commission has a specimen weighing 
6 pounds and measuring 22 inches, which was taken September 10, 1900, in a trap 
off Prudence Island, Narragansett Bay. Tlie example described and figured by 
Mitchill was taken at Powles Hook, N. J. According to Mitchill specimens 
weighing 4 or 5 pounds were occasional!)^ secured, and the fish was sometimes 
called Black Grunt. DcKay knew the fish only from the accounts of it given 
bv Mitchill and Holbrook. 



'Hi 




THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 



4'5 



Il6. Red Snapper (NcoiiKenis black f or di Goode & Bean). 

LiitjaiiKS /ihu-kjiin/ii(',<.-)in)v.isi Dean, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mui., I, 176, 1878 (full description 

of adult); II, IJ7, 138, 1879, characters and measurements of young; GooDE, 

(lame Fishes N. .\., 16, 1878, with colored plate. 
Li(tjaiiii$ blackfordi Jord.'\n' & Gilbert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 549, 1SS3; ]5ean, 

19th Rept. Comm. Fish. N. Y., 263, pi. XVI, fig. 20, 1890. 
Neomcenis nya Jordan & Evermaxx, F.idl. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 1264, 1898, pi. CXCVII, 

fig. 516, 1900 (not Bodiaiiiis aya Bloch, Ichth., 227, 1790); H. M. Smith, Bull. 

U. S. F. C. 1897, 100, 1898. 

Color uniform .scarlet. Center of scales lighter, also the belly, which is silvery ; 
inside of axil of pectoral darker maroon. 




red sxappkr. 

On October 26, 1887, Mr. E. G. Blackford, P'ish Commissioner of the State of 
New York, forwarded to the National Museum a young Red .Snapper, four and one 
half inches long, which was caught in Great South Bay, at Bay Shore, Long Island. 
This is the smallest Red Snapper that we have obtained, and it is the first record of 
the occurrence of the species so far north. The specimen has been catalogued as 
39,213 of the National Museum Fish Register. 

As in other young fishes the size of the eye, the length of the head and the 
colors are different from these characters in the adult. 

A description of the colors of the fresh fish follows : 

A dark band nearly as wide as the diameter of the eye is placed immediately in 
front of the spinous dorsal ; it fades out about the median line of the body. Three 
similar bands, and of like size, under the dorsal, separated by narrow interspaces and 
fading out below. The fourth band contains a blotch as large as the eye, which 
passes slightly beneath the latend line. A fifth band is under the last third of the 



4l6 SKVKNTll RKl'ORT OK TIIK KORKST, FISH AM) GAME COMMISSION. 

soft dorsal ami c<Tiitinucs backward to the caudal, not descending below the lateral 
line. The second and third bands are traversed \'ertically by a narrow median 
stripe of the rosy body color. Membrane of dorsals and caudal with a narrow 
black edge. Spine and external ray of ventral milk white. Anal rosy, except 
membrane of first two spines and last three rays, which is milk white. 

The Red Snapper has become one of the most famous fishes of our northern 
markets, and is always attractive on account of its large size, brilliant color, and the 
excellence of its flesh. We know that the .species is to be found on our ea.st coast 
from Cape Cod to the Carribbean Sea. It is rare, however, north of Cape Hatteras 
and the principal fisheries are located off the coasts of Georgia and Florida, and in 
the Gulf of Mexico. 

When the Red Snapper was named in honor of Mr. Eugene G. Blackford, in 
recognition of his invaluable contributions to the science of ichthyology, the 
describers of the species had carefully considered the question of nomenclature 
and satisfied themselves that none of the names known to them could with certainty 
be associated with this fish. Various earlier names have been suggested from time 
to time by several authors as possibly available for the species. In 1883 Dr. D. S. 
Jordan considered it to be the L. caiiipi-cliiaiins, described by Poey in i860. This, 
however, is a species with much smaller scales if the description be accurate. The 
type has not been examined by any one in the United States so far as I am 
informed. A little later Dr. Jordan suggested that the name Lutjanus vivaiuis of 
Cuv. & Val. should be accepted for the Red Snapper; but my examination of the 
types of this species in the Museum of Paris showed it to be a small Lutjanus, and 
very distinct in every way from L. bUu-kfordi. In recent lists Dr. Jordan has 
adopted the specific name aya of Bloch, published in 1787 in i\\e Auslandischc Fischc. 
This name was used for a species of Lutjanus more than twenty years ago by Dr. 
Theodore Gill. 

I will now state what may be learned from the literature concerning the aya. 
The Bodianus aya of Hloch is distinctly based upon the Acara aya of Maurice, 
Prince of Nassau, as set forth in his Mss, tome 2, page 351. The plate published by 
Bloch is copied from a drawing by Prince Maurice, and his description is drawn 
from the .same source. The fish which formed the subject of the description and 
illustration by the Prince of Nassau was the aya or garanka of Brazil, a red species, 
said to attain to a length of 3 feet. The aya is distinctly described as having 9 spines 
and 18 articulated rays in the dorsal. It is represented as having 40 scales in the 
lateral line, and the scales are said to be ornamented with silvery, submarginal 
stripes. Bloch was informed that the fish was known to the iMcnch, Germans and 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 417 

English as the irjur and to the Brazilians as the j^ir>-d///i(j. Elsewhere in the descrip- 
tion the general color is said to be red, the back dark red, and the belly silvery. 
This is all the information to be derived from Bloch's account of the species, and if 
the data mentioned are to be relied upon, the fish is certainly not our Red Snapper. 
\Vc have no other knowledge concerning the irytr of Brazil. It iias n(jt been shown 
that our species ranges so far south and several red forms resembling L. blackfordi 
are associated with it. Various interpretations of the aya have appeared in ichthyo- 
logical works. Dr. Giinther, in his Catalogue of Fishes in the British Museiiiii, vol. I, 
page 198, adopts the name for a small-scaled Lii/Jaiius, which has 65 scales in the 
lateral line and 32 in a transverse scries. Of this he has a fine specimen from South 
America. A very curious translation of the earlier descriptions of the aya is to be 
found in Lacepede's account of the species, which is given below. The diagnostic 
characters are stated as follows : 

Nine spines and 18 articulated rays in the dorsal; I spine and 8 divided rays in 
the anal ; the caudal crescent-shaped ; each operclc terminating in a long and flat 
spine; the general color red; the back blood color; the belly silvery. 
The author, in another part of his Natural History of Fishes, writes : 
A figure of the aya has been published by Marcgrave, Piso, Willughby, Johnston, 
Ruysch, the prince of Nassau [Maurice] and Bloch, who has copied the drawing of 
Prince Maurice. It is found in lakes of Brazil. It frequently reaches a length of i 
meter, and it is so plentiful that large numbers of this species are salted or sun-dried 
for export. It may be very desirable and, perhaps, sufificiently easy to acclimatize 
this large and beautiful bodianus, the flesh of which is very agreeable to the taste, 
in the fresh waters of Europe, and particularly in lakes and ponds of France. 

117. Pig Fish; Hog Fish {Orthopristis ehrysopterus Linna;us). 

Labriis ful-eoniaculatus Mitchill, Trans. Lit. & Pliil. Soc. N. Y., I, 406, 1S15, New York. 
Haemidoii fiilvoiiiaculatiiiii IJeKay, N. Y. Fauna, Pishes, 84, pi. 7, fig. 21, 1842, New 

York. 
Orthopristis ehrysopterus Bean, Bull. U: S. F. C, VII, 142, pi. Ill, fig. 11, 1888; Bean, 

Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., IX, 366, 1897; Jordan & Evermann, Bull, 47, U. S. 

Nat. Mus., 1338, 1898, pi. CCX, fig. 541, 1900. 

Light brown, silvery below; siiles with numerous orange colored and yellow 
spots; those above the lateral line in oblique series, those below in horizontal; 
vertical fins with similar spots; head bluish with yellow spots; angle of mouth and 
gill membranes with orange. 

The Pig Fish ranges along the Atlantic coast from New York southward ; adult 
27 



41 8 SEVENTH RETORT OF THE FOREST, FISH AXP GAME COMMISSION. 



individuals arc rarely seen even as far north as New Jersey, but the young are 
common. 

At Hecsley's Point, N. J., August lo, 1887, many young individuals were taken 
in tile seine. D. XII, 16; A. Ill, 13; scales, 75. 

.'\ dark stripe beginning on nape and dividing sends one branch along the back 
on each side not far from dorsal outline : a dark stripe from eye to root of cautial ; 
cheeks and opercles with several narrow orange stripes; a narrow orange stripe 
between the two dark body stripes and another below the lower dark stripe; 
below the second orange stripe are numerous orange spots, not continuous. These 
specimens are from less than i inch to more than 2 inches long. 



,A?^:k^.^ 





^^:S£^^ 



Young examples were seined at .Somers Point, August 13, and abundantly at 
Ocean City, August 16. The croaking sound made by these little fishes is quite 
noticeable. 

September 5, Mr. W. S. Keates brought in two examples which had been caught 
on a hook with clam bait; these are i,-H "iches long, and much larger than the 
average size. Specimens from 4!^ to 5 inches long were caught at Beesley's Point 
August 23 ; in these there is only a trace of the black lateral stripe along the 
median line, and the sides have several broad, dark bands. 

September 9 an indivitlual 5'-, inches long was taken at Beesley's Point. This 
species is unknown to the fishermen. (3ne angler described its croaking as 
resembling the quacking of a duck. 

Several examples were taken in (iravesend Bay, October 24, 1894. DeKay 
mentions it as a rare fish, but occasionally appearing, he was informed, in New York 
Harbor in considerable numbers. He states that it is a very savory food. 



b. 










c 

o 

q: 
I 
o 

(/) 

D 


u 

b 

z 

u 
I- 
(f) 



/6 

o 
d 



CI 

O 
01 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 



419 



118. Scup ; Porgy ; Sand Porgee {Stciiotoinus c/in'so/^s Liniiiuus). 

Labnis versicolor Mitchill, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y., I, 404, pi. Ill, fig. 7, 1815, 

New York. 
Sargiis areiiosiis DeK.w, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 91, pi. 22, fig. 67, 1S42, Long Island; 

young. 
Fagn/s argvrops DeKav, op. cit. 95, pi. IX, fig. 25, 1842; adult. 
Diplodiis argyrops JORU.\N & Gilbert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mas., 557, 1883. 
Stcnotomin chrysops Bean, Bull. U. S. F. C, VII, 142, tSSS; 19th Rept. Comm. Fish. N. 

Y., 261, pi. XIV, fig. 18, 1890; Jordan & Fesler, Rept. U. S. F. C. 1889 to 1891, 

507, 1893; Bean, Bull. .Vm. Mus. Nat. Hist., IX, 366, 1897; H. M. Smith, Bull. U. 

S. F. C. 1897, 100, 1898; Jordan cV- Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 1346, 

1898, pi. CCXI, fig. 544, 1900; Bean, 52d Ann. Rept. N. Y. .State Mus., 106, 1900; 

Sherwood & Edwards, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1901, 28, 1901. 



v*^. 




Color silvery, with bright reflections, dusky above, upper part of head deep 
brown ; dorsal horn color, the last rays with a yellowish tinge ; axil of pectoral 
dusky; young with five or six dusky bars; iris golden, mottled with silvery and 
brownish. Length, about i foot. 

The Scup is one of our best known fishes. In many places it is better known 
under the name Po-rgee. Mitchill and DeKay described it as the Big Porgee. 
Another spelling for the same name is Pogy. Scup is an abbreviation of Scuppaug, 
which in turn is a shorter form for the Narragan.sett name, Mishcuppauog. The 
name Fairmaid, which is said to be given to the Scup on the Virginia coast, does not 
rightfully belong to this species, but rather to the Sailor's Choice {Lagodon). The 



420 SEVENTH REPORT {>V THE EOREST, EISII AM) CAME COMMISSION. 

name I'ainnaid is rcc^ularly applied to the latter species at Cape Charles, Va., 
accordiiii; to B. A. Bean. In Norfolk, Va., Mr. Bean heard the name Maiden for the 
young of the common Sciip. 

The Scup seldom migrates north of Cape Cod, although it has been taken occa- 
sionall)' off Cape Ann. Attempts to introduce it into Massachusetts Bay have been 
unsuccessful. 

The .Scuj) comes into our northern waters in great schools, the large spawning 
fish coming first, making their appearence in New York waters in May. The species 
feeds upon small crustaceans, moUusks and annelids, and is one of the readiest 
biters along the coast. The fishery fluctuates greatly ; in certain years the fish is 
comparatively scarce, and in others it is extremely abundant. It is caught in 
pounds and traps, and remains in Great South l^ay until cold w-eather sets in. It 
has been taken on Cape Cod as late as December lo. Sometimes a sudden cold 
spell kills the fish in large numbers. 

In 1890 we found only a few specimens at Fire Island and at East Island, late in 
September, and on October 1 a few examples were taken in a trap at Islip. In 1898 
adults were taken in moderate numbers off Southampton August 3. Half-grown 
specimens were obtained at Islip August 18. A single young individual was seined 
at Nichols's Point September i, and a moderate number of young, about 2 inches 
long, were secured at the east side of Fire Island Inlet September 16. In 1901 
small Scup, about 6 inches long, were obtained in a gill net August 13, and In 
Watt's Pound, July 31, in Clam Pond Cove. 

The Scup arrives in Gravesend Bay in May, and is taken as late as November. 
In captivit)- it lives until December, and in properly heated water it can be kept 
indefinitely. It is thrifty, and is seldom in bad condition. 

At Woods Hole, Mass., according to Dr. Smith, the fish appears about May i 
and leaves about October 15 or 20, being most abundant in June and July. 
Spawning occurs during first part of June, and young '.. inch to 3^ inch long are 
observed by the middle of July. The eggs are '/-.r, inch in diameter and liatch in 4 
days at a mean temperature of 62° F. In 1900 the Scup arri\-ed off Newport April 
21, at Cutty Hunk April 26, and at Woods Hole May i. Hundreds of young are 
killed there annually by a sudden fall of temperature. The growth of the young is 
recorded by Sherwood & Edwards as follows: July 3, length y, to ly, inches 
August 2, I ^ to 2 inches; September 6. 2 to 3 inches; September 29, 3 to 4 inches; 
November !, 4 inches. The largest individuals observed weighed 3 pounds. 

The young are devoured in large numbers by Cod, Weakfish, Bluefish and other 
predaceous species. 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 



421 



119. Sailor's Choice (J^agodon rhoinboidcs Linnneus). 

Sarins rlwmboides DeKav, N. V. Fauna, Fishes, 93, pi. 71, fig. 228, 1842, copied from 
CuviF.R & Valenciennes. 

Lagodon rlwmboides Holbrook, Ichth. S. C, ed. i, 56, pi. 8, .fig. i, 1856; ed. 2, 59, 
i860; Bean, 19th Rept. Comm. Fish. N. Y., 263, 1890; Bull. Am. Mas. Nat. Hist., 
IX, 366, 1897; H. M. Smith, Bull. U. .S. F. C. 1897, loi, 1898; Jordan & Ever- 
MANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 1358, 1898, pi. CCXV, fig. 552, 1900. 

The Sailor's Choice feeds upon small invertebrates and Minnows. It is caught 
ith the hook and in cast nets and seines. 
Brownish, white below : sides of head and body with horizontal stripes of light 




SAILOR'S CHOICE 



blue and golden ; six or seven very faint darker vertical bands, disappearing with 
age; vertical fins yellowish, 'with bluish stripes; a dark axillary spot. 

This is called the Salt Water Bream by Schcepff and the Rhomboidal Forgee by 
DeKay. In Chesapeake Bay it is the Fairmaid. It is also called Pin fish. Squirrel 
fish, Porgee, Yellow Tail and Shiner. In Great South Bay the name of the fish 
was unknown to the fishermen, and this is true in Great Egg Harbor Bay, where 
the young are not uncommon in summer. 

In Gravesend Bay it is not a common fish, but is found occasionally in summer. 

A single individual was obtained at Fire Island October i. Tiie Sailor's Choice 
occurs as far north as Cape Cod, but it is not present in sufficient numbers to be 
considered among the important food fishes ; south of Cape Hatteras, where it is 



422 SEVKNTIl KKI'OKT OK TIIK KOKKST, FISH AMI CAMI', COMMISSION. 

abundant, it is valuable for food, and in many places is considered superior to 
Sheepshead ; this is especially so in the St. John's River. 

The eggs are described as j)ale blue in color and as large as mustard seed. 
Spawning takes place in the Gulf of Mexico in winter or spring. The colors of the 
fish are very beautiful, the sides being ornamented with golden stripes on a pearly 
white ground and having numerous dark \-crtical bands. 



120. Sheepshead {Arrf/osur^i^/ts probatoccplialus Walbaum). 

Spams oris Mrrcuii.!., Trans, l^it. & Phil. Soc. N. V., I, 392, pi. 2, fig. 5, 1815, New 

York. 
Sargtis oris DkKav, N. \'. Fauna, Fishes, 89, pi. 8, fig. 23, 1842. 
Archosargiis probatoccplialus Bean, Bull. U. S. F. C, VII, 142, ]il. Ill, fig. 10,1888, 

Somers Point, N. J., young; 19th Ropt. Comm. Fish. N. V,, 262, pi. XV, fig. 19, 

1890; Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., IX, 366, 1897; H. M. Smith, Bull. U. S. F. C. 

1897, loi, 189S; Jordan & Ever.mann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 1361, 1898, pi. 

CCXVI, fig. 554, 1900. 




SHKKI'SIIKAI 



Grayish, with about eight vertical black bands, which are about as broad as the 
interspaces; dorsal dusky ; ventral and anal black : base of pectoral dusky ; the dark 
bands arc most distinct in the }-oung. 

The Sheepshead ranges along the coast from Cape Cod to Texas ; it is very rare 
as far north as Woods Hole, Mass., but in southern waters it is still abundant. The 
species reaches a length of 30 inches and the weight of 20 pounds; it is one of the 
most valuable of our food fishes and is highly prized for its game ipialities. 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 423 

In August, 18S7, tlic Sheepsliead was known to have bred in Great Egg Harbor 
Bay, N. J., where about 20 young individuals, measuring from i inch to i '^' inches, 
were seined between August 10 and September g. Adults at that time were present 
in the bay, but they were scarce. The bottom was covered with algae and conven- 
ient hiding places were found under the sod banks. 

The fish is very unusual in Gravesend Bay, Long Island. A large individual, 
weighing 13 pounds, was caught September 16, 1897, at Coney Island. That exam- 
ple proved hardy in captivit}-, and the Shecpshead generally can be easily kept if 
the water temperature be properly maintained. 

The Shecpshead was at one time common in Great South Bay. For this state- 
ment we have the authority of Mr. Erastus Gordon, of Patchogue, and the following 
account from Dr. Mitchill's Fishes of New York will substantiate the fact: "The 
Shecpshead swims in shoals and is sometimes surrounded in great numbers by the 
seine. Several hundreds have often been taken at a single haul with the long 
sweeping nets in use at Raynortown, Babylon and Fire Island. They even tell of a 
thousand brought to land at a draught. . . . This fish is sometimes speared by 
torchlight in the wide and shallow bays of Queens County and Suffolk. His term 
of continuance is only during the warmest season ; that is, from the beginning of 
June to the middle of September. ... I have, however, known him to stay 
later; for one of the most numerous collections of Shecpshead I ever saw in the 
New York market was on October 4, 1814; I have seen them as late as the 17th." 

Scott, in 1875, referred to Fire Island as a good locality for Sheepshead fishing, 
and also mentions superior feeding places in the South Bay and about the wreck of 
the Black IWirrior, near the Narrows. 

We did not obtain the Sheepshead in Great South Bay, and believe it occurs 
there very rarely at the present time, although fishermen still seek them in a few 
localities, and, I am informed, occasionally catch one. Dr. Smith says not one has 
been seen or heard of in Vineyard Sound or Buzzards Bay since 1894; but formerly 
it was quite common and was often caught while line fishing for Tautog and Scup. 



424 SEVENTH RKrOKT OI' THE EUREST, EISIl AM) GAME COMMISSION. 

121. Weak Fish ; Squeteague (Cynoscion rcgalis Bloch & Schneider.) 

Roans comes .MiTcmi.i., Kept. Fish. N. V., 26, 1814, Xew York. 

Labriis squeteague Mitchill, Trans, Lit. \- i'hil. Soc X. Y., I, 396, \A. 2, fig. 6, 1815, 

New York. 
OtoUthus rcgalis DkKav, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 71, ])1. 8, fig. 24, 1842. 
Cynoscion regale Uf..\x, ISull. U. S. F. C, YII, 140. pi. II, fig. 6, 1888; 19th Rept. Coram. 

Fish. N. Y., 257, pi. XIII, fig. 15, 1890. ^ 

Cynoscion rcgalis Be.an, Bull. .\m. Mus. Nat. Hist., IX, 367, 1897; Jordan & Ever- 

MANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 1407, 1898, pi. CCXX, fig. 562, 1900; H. M. 

Smith, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, loi, 1898 ; Bf.ax. 5211 .\nn. Rept. N. Y. State Mus., 

106, 1900 ; Shf.rwoou & Edwards, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1901, 29, 1901. 

Silvery, darker above and marked with many small, irregular dark blotches, some 
of which form undulating lines running downward and forward ; back and head with 



/^/■A. 




WEAK FISH. 



bright reflections; dorsal and caudal fins dusky: ventrals, anal, and lower edge of 
caudal yellowish, sometimes speckled. The young show traces of a few dusky 
bands on the sides, one under the spinous dorsal being most plainly marked, and 
extending to below the median line. 

The \Yeak fish, so called in Dr. Mitchill's Fislics of X civ York, appears also in his 
report as the .Squeteague and Chccouts, the former being a Narragansett Indian 
name and the latter derived from the Mohegans. The Narragansett name is some- 
times spelled Scuteeg. Chickwick is the Connecticut name for the species: on Cape 
Cod, because of the souiul produced by the fish, it is called the Drummer; large 
Weak fish in Buzzards Hay are termed Yellow fins. In Great Egg Harbor Bay the 
name Blue fish is applied to it, notwithstanding the presence of the real Blue fish 
{Poiiiatoiiuis). On our southern coast we hear the name Trout, with its variations, 
Grey Trout, Sea Trout, Shad Trout, Sun Trout and Salt-water Trout. The latter 
name is used to distinguish it from the Fresh-water Trout of the Southern States, 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 425 

which is the Black Bass. Dr. Mitchill thus accounts for the name Weak fish : " He 
is called Weak fish, as some say, because he does not pull very hard after he is 
hooked ; or, as others allege, because laboring men who are fed upon him are weak 
by reason of the deficient nourishment in that kind of food." DcKay explains the 
name from the feeble resistance the fish makes on the hook and the facility with 
which it breaks away from it by reason of its delicate" structure. At the time of 
DeKay's writing in 1842, and for some years previously, the Weak fish were present 
on our coast in diminished numbers. The Blue fish were then present in abundance 
and the disappearance of the Weak fish was supposed to be connected with the 
reappearance of the Blue fish. A similar observation was made by Dr. Storer on 
the Massachusetts coast. Again, at Woods Hole, Mass., in 1900, the Weak fish were 
remarkably abundant, the traps at Menemsha having taken [0,000 in a single day; 
the Blue fish, on the other hand, were unusually scarce during the entire season, not 
over so having been recorded from the adjacent bay and sound. 

The Weak fish ranges from the Bay of Fundy to the east coast of Florida. It 
fluctuates in abundance from year to year. The late Capt. N. E. Atwood is author- 
ity for the statement that in 184S the weekly supply in the New York markets was 
not above 1,000 pounds. 

The earliest arrival in New York in 18S9 was on May 12, at Great Hills, Gifford, 
Staten Island. During the latter part of August, 1889, the west channel of 
Great South Bay furnished great numbers of Weak fish. The young were found in 
Blue Point Cove late in September; also some half-grown individuals. The fish 
are in their finest condition during the fall migration in September and October. 

In 1901 young Weak fish were seldom taken in Great South Bay, and only two 
localities — Duncan's Creek and Smith's Point — furnished them in very small num- 
bers. Adult fish, however, were remarkably abundant, and were caught in many 
parts of the bay. 

The species feeds in the channels upon Shrimp, Crabs and small fish. In Great 
South Bay we found them eating large quantities of Anchovies, and the same 
observation was made in one of the inlets of Great Egg Harbor Bay, N. J. The 
fish enters the mouths of rivers and migrates freely with the tide. 

The species swims in large schools near the surface and is very voracious, 
destroying the young even of its own kind. A specimen of about 4 pounds, taken 
at Islip, October i, 1890, had in its stomach a Weak fish weighing about 6 ounces. 
Fish of 4 pounds and a little larger were moderately abundant at this date. 

Weak fish spawn in New York waters in May, and at Cape Cod about the first of 
June. The egg is ; '^s inch in diameter and hatches in two days at an average tern- 



426 -SEVEXTII KKI'URl" OV THE FOREST, FISH AXIJ GAME COMMISSION. 

perature of 60^ I". It is buoyant, and. under natural conditions, is subject to the 
influence of wind and current. The spawnint^ season is evidently prolonged in some 
localities; in Cjreat Egg Harbor l^ay, for example, young Weak fish only I '4 inches 
long were taken in .August, that is, several months after spawning begun. The most 
favorable tide for catching this species is generally considered the latter half of the 
flood and first half of the ebb. At night tlie Weak fish runs up the creeks to feed 
in the salt meatiows, and will take the hook freely. 

Some of the best baits for the Weak fish are the common Shrimp, Soft or Shed- 
der Crabs, pieces of Clam and common Mussel, the white skin of the throat of Weak 
fish, and sometimes the eye of this species; other good baits are .SiKersides and 
Anchovies. In (jreat .South Ba_\' the fish are taken extensively in pountl nets and 
in gill nets. The gill nets are set in the shape of a horseshoe, and the attending 
sloop sails back and forth across the o[)en end of the horseshoe, one of the crew 
meanwhile beating the deck with his heels to frighten the fish into the nets. This 
method, called drumming, is in great disfavor among those who follow other modes 
of fishing. 

The We.d< fish entlures captivit)- very well and can be kept during winter in 
water of the proper temperature. The species is said to reach the weight of 30 
pounds. 

122. Spotted Weak Fish ; Sea Trout (Cynoscion ncbitlosus Cuv. & Val.). 

Labriis sqnet(agvc- var. iinu'ii/atiis Mncmi.i,, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. V'., 1,396, 1815 

New York ; not Lahnis iiiLicuIatns lii.ocH. 
Otolithus carolinensis D^ Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fislies, 72, 1S42, extra liniital ; Holbrook, 

Ichth. S. C, ed. i, 133, pi. 19, fig. 2, 1856. 
Cynoscion ncbiihniis Jordan & Evkrmann, IJull. 47, U. S. Nat. Miis., 1409, 1898, pi. 

CCXXI, fig. 563, 1900. 

Body silvery with bright reflections ; numerous black spots on back, beginning 
under the spinous ilorsal ; soft dorsal and caudal similarly spotted, the largest spots 
smaller than pupil ; anal fin dusky. 

The Spotted Weak fish is a better food fish than the common northern species; 
it ranges from New York to Te.xas, but is rare north of Virginia. 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 



42; 



123. Yellow Tail ; Silver Perch (Bairdiclla chrysura Lacepede). 

Bodiaiius argyrolcuiiis 2\Iitchill, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. V., I, 417, pi. 6, fig. 9, 1815, 

New York. 
Corvina iVi^yro/t'iicas DeK-W, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 74, pi. iS, fig. 51, 1S42, New York. 
Ho/noprioii xaiithiirus Holbrodk, Ichtli. S. C, ed. i, 170, \\\. 24, 1856 (not Leiostoiiius 

xaiifhiirns F.ACEPi^DE). 
Bairiiiclla chrysura Goode, Fish. & Fish. Ind. U. S., I, 375, pi. 126, 1884 : Be.an, Bull. 

U. S. F. C, YII, 141, pi. I, fig. 9, 1888 ; 19th Kept. Comm. Fish. N. Y., 259, 1890 ; 

Bull. Am. Mas. Nat. Hist., IX, 367, 1897 ; Juruan & Everm.ann, Bull. 47, U. S. 

Nat. Mus., 1433, 1888, pi. CCXXII, fig. 566, 1900; Bean, 52d Ann. Kept. N. Y. 

State Mus., 106, 1900, 







SPOTTED WEAK FISH. 



Greenisli above, silvery below, each scale with serie,s of dark punctulations 
through the center, usually very conspicuous, sometimes obscure, tliese forming 
narrow somewhat irregular streaks along the sides ; fins plain, the caudal yellowish. 

Dr. Mitchill describes this fish as the Silver Perch, and DeKay explains the ori- 
gin of this name from the resemblance which the Yellow Tail bears in its appear- 
ance and habits to the common White Perch. At Pensacola, Fla., the name 
Mademoiselle is ap[5lied to the species. In Great South Bay we heard the name 
Lafayette given it, but this belongs more properly to the Spot, Liostoiiiiis xaiithurns. 

The Yellow Tail occurs on our coast from Cape Cod to Florida. It was a com- 
mon fish in Great South Bay in September, 1890, and during the early part of 
October, occurring at Blue Point Cove, at the Blue Point Life Saving Station, 
Great River Beach and Fire Island. It is frequently taken in the pounds. In 1898 
the young were found in abundance at Nichols's Point, Great South Bay, September 
I. In 1901 the species was not observed at all during a season extending from the 
middle of July to the middle of October, 

The breeding season must continue into early summer, as many young fish from 



428 SKVKNTIl KF.POKT OF THE FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSIOX. 

I incli to 2lj iiiclics loni; were obtained in (jrcat Egj^ Harbor Bay, X. J., early in 
August. 

The young of the Silver Perch are found every summer in Gravesend Bay, and 
adults are to be seen occasionally. (^n September 8, 1896, Mr. DeNyse took an 
example l '4 inches long \v\ih a shrimji net, in eel grass back of the flats at extreme 
low tide. Tools containing 2 feet of water are comnioii here, and many species of 
fish become imprisoned in them. In August Mr. \V. I. DeN\-se has captured a 
half dozen adult IIil^potaiiif>iis in such localities. On October 5, 1896, and again 
in the fall of 1897, the Silver I'erch was obtained in the bay. 




'iTi^" 



VEI.I.OW TAIL. 



The species seldom exceeds 10 inches in length, but is regarded as an excellent 
pan fish, and is secured in enormous numbers. 



124. Red Drum ; Channel Bass (Sciieuops occllatus Linn?eus). 

Sdiciia imberbis AFitchili,, Trans. Lit. &: Phil. Soc. N. \'., I, 411, 1S15, New York. 
Cotviiia occllata DkKav, N. ^'. Fauna. Fishes, 75, ]il. 21, fig. 61, 1842, New York ; Hol- 

BROOK, lelith. S. C, ed. i, 149, jil. 21, fig. 2, 185O. 
Si-i(cin>ps occllatKS 1!kan, Hull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., IX, 367, 1897, New Jersey ; H. M. 

S.MiTH, Bull. LI. S. !•'. C. 1897, Toi. 1.S9S ; Jokdan & Evermaxn, Bull. 47, U. S. 

Nat. Mus., 1453, 1898, [)1. CCX.XXll, fig. 567, 1900. 

The Red Drum is one of the largest of the food fishes of the southern waters, 
reaching the length of 5 feet and the weight of 75 pounds. It inhabits the Atlantic 
coast from New York to Texas, and has once been taken near Cape Cod. 

A Red Drum, or .Sjxitted Bass, weighing 14 pounds, was obtained b_\- Mr. E. G. 
Blackford from New Jersey, and was purchased alive for the New York Aquarium. 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 



429 



When last observed by me (December 11, 1897) it was in the central pool, and 
apparently, in perfect health. It swam sometimes immediately under the Sand 
Shark. Its food consists of large pieces of Herring, which it takes readily. 

The only specimen known to have been taken at Cape Cod was caught in a trap 
in Buzzards Bay at the breakwater in 1894. The example is 34 inches long and 
weighs about 14 pounds. On account of the ocellated markings at the base of the 
caudal fin it has sometimes been called the Branded Drum. 



/^.. 





RED DRUM. 



125. Spot ; Lafayette 1 /.riostoiuns xauthurus Lacepede). 

Leiostomiis xantluinis Df.Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 70, 1842, extra limital. 
Leiostoiiiiis xanthuriis Jordan & Gii.ufcrt, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mas., 574, 1883. 
Lfiostoiniis xant/iunis I5kan, 19th Kept. Comui. Fish. N. Y., 260, 1890; Bull. km. Mus. 

Nat. Hist., IX, 367, 1897. 
Leiostoinus xanthuriis Eugene SMiT?r. Proc. Linn. Soc. N. Y., 1S97, 39, 1898. 
Leiostomus xanthuriis Mearns, Bull. \\\\. Mus. Nat. Hist., X, 321, 1898. 
Mugil ohli()uus Mitchill, Rept. Fish. N. Y., 16, 1814, New York. 
Leiostomus obliijuiis DeKay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 69, pi. 60, fig. 195, 1842. 

Color bluish above, silvery below; about 13 to 15 narrow dark lines extending 
from the dorsal fins downward and forward to below the lateral line ; a roundish 
black humeral spot about two-thirds as long as the eye; fins plain olivaceous. 

This little fish was formerly known on the New York coast as Lafayette. 
Mitchill calls it the Little Porgee. According to DeKay its appearance on the New 
York coast in the summer of 18:34 happened to coincide with the arrival of General 
Lafayette, and his name was bestowed upon the species. The name Spot is derived 
from the presence of a dark blotch about as big as the eye near the root of the pec- 
toral fin. Other names for the species are Goody, Oldwife, Roach and Chub. 



430 SKVKXTII REPORT OF THE FOREST, FISH AND GAME rOMMISSIOX. 

Tlie Spot is found from Cape Cod to Florida and is sometimes abundant as far 
north as New York. In Great South Bay several specimens were taken early in 
October in Great River. A single example was seen among some fishes taken in a 
])ountl net at Islip, October I, 1890. In 1898 the species was not obtained by the 
writer, and in 1901 only a few specimens, mostly adults, were secured at Quantic 
Hay, Duncan's Creek and Widow's Creek. 

Rather common in Gravesend Hay from July to as late as December, and is well 
adapted to captive life. It is mostly abundant usually in September. 

Dr. Mearns states that the fish, locally known as the Sand Porgee, is of frequent 
occurrence in summer in the Hudson River and its estuaries. H. M. Smith records 




it as common in the fall in the vicinity of Wood's Hole, Mass., leaving in October 
or November, when the water temperature reaches 45° F. All the specimens 
observed there were about 6 inches long. 

It is a small fish, seldom exceeding 10 inches in length, but is one of the favor- 
ites among the pan fishes. The Spot feeds upon the bottom on small invertebrates, 
and can be taken readil)- with hook and line. In Great South Bay it is caught in 
seines and pound nets. It ascends creeks into brackish water and is a common 
associate of the White I'erch. In Great ligg Harbor Bay it is extremely common 
in summer and is sometimes known as Porsjee. 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 



431 



126. Croaker (Micropogon unihdatus Linnajus). 

Bodianus costatns Mitchill, Trans. Lit, & Phil. Soc. N. Y., 1, 417, 1815, New York. 
Micropogon costatns DeK.ay, N. Y. P^iuna, Fishes, 83, pi. 72, fig. 230, 1842. 
Micropogon uiiditlatus DeKay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 84, 1842, extra-Iiniitai. 
Micropogon undidatiis Jordan & Gilbert, Bull. 16. U. S. Nat. Mus., 575, 1883. 
Micropogon inidulatus Bean, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., IX, 368, 1897. 
Micropogon undiilatns ]o\^\^\n & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 1461, 1898, pi 
CCXXIV, fig. 570, 1900. 

Color grayish silvery, with bright reflections ; sides and back \vith narrow, irregu- 
lar, undulating lines of dots ; dorsal fins with three lines of dots along base. 

The Croaker inhabits the east coa.st of the United States, ranging from Cape 
Cod to Texas ; it is not very common north of the Chesapeake. It grows to the 



/A 









v^ 



length of 15 inches and is an important food fish. The fish was described by 
Mitchill but was unknown to DeKay from personal observation. Although known 
in Gravesend Bay, the species is a very uncommon one there. Mr. W. I. DeNyse 
informs me that several individuals were taken there in September, 1902. The only 
specimen recorded at Woods Hole, Mass., is 15 inches long; it was taken in a trap 
at the breakwater in Buzzards Bay on September 9, 1893. 



432 SEVENTH RErORT OF THE FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. 



127. King Fish; Whiting; Sea Mink {Mciilicirrkus saxatilis Bloch & 

SchnciderV 

Siicna iifbiiUmi Mnciiii.L, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. X. Y., I, 408, pi. ;„ fig. 5, 1815. 
Umhiina alhiiniiis DkK.w, N. V. Fauna, Kishcs. 78, pi. 7, fig, 20, 1842. 
Mcntiarrhus nebulosiis Jokd.w & (Iii.iikkt, I'.ull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 577, 1883. 
Menticinhiis saxatilis V>Y..K^, 19th Rept. Comm. Fish. N. V., 259, pi. XII, fig. 16, 1S90. 
Mcnticirrhus saxatilis Jord.\n & Everm.\nn, JUill. 47, U. S. Xat. Mus., I, 1475, 1898. 
^^t■llticirrIllls saxatilis Rk.an, 5 2d Ann. Rept. N. Y. State Mus., 106, 1900. 

Color diLsky gray above, .sometimes blackish, the back and sides with distinct 
dark oblicjue cross-bands running downward and forward, the anterior one at the 
nape extending downward, meeting the second and thus forming a v-shapetl blotch 
on each side ; a dark lateral streak bounding the pale color of the belly, most dis- 




~~-»^:..^.Tii' 



KINO FISH. 

tinct posteriorly, and extending on lower lobe of caudal ; inside of gill cavity 
scarcely dusky ; pectorals dark. 

The King f^sh, according to DeKay, was so named by the early English colonists 
because of its excellent flavor. The name Hake is given to it in New Jersey and 
Delaware; in the Chesapeake it is sometimes called Black Mullet: in North Caro- 
lina, the Sea Mink ; in tlie South it is the Whiting or Bermuda Whiting: on the 
Connecticut coast it is known as the Tomcod. 

The King f^.sh occurs northward to Cape Ann and south to the Gulf of Mexico. 
Large individuals are not common as far north as Cape Cod, but the young may 
be seen in moderate numbers in the summer months. They occur in abundance 
throughout Great South Ba>-, and near the inlet their number is increased. We 
have collected them at the mouth of Swan Creek, in Blue Point Cove, at the Blue 
Point Life Saving Station, Oak Island and Fire Island. An individual was obtained 
October 7th in the bay, and others were found during September. Adult King fish 



THK FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 433 

used to be common in Great South Bay, but in 1884 they were rare, according to 
Mr. Erastus Gordon, of Patchogue. In i8g8 only one adult was taken by tlie 
writer, and that was found in Clam Pond Cove, August 26. Young were seined at 
Fire Island Inlet, Nichols's Point, Howell's Point, Blue Point Cove, and in Peconic 
Bay. In 1901 large King fish were not uncommon in Great South Bay, but the 
young were unusually rare, only two specimens, measuring from 3^4 to 4 inches, 
having been obtained ; these were seined at Duncan's Creek September 14. 

The King fish was formerly abundant in Gravesend Ba\', but it seldom occurs 
there now. 

The species evidently breeds at Woods Hole, Mass. Dr. .Smith says that adults 
full of spawn are comnK^n there in June, and uncommon after July 15. The young, 
about an inch long, appe<ir in the middle of July, and the \'oung are numerous on 
sandy beaches during the summer and until early October, when they leave, having 
attained a length of 4 or 5 inches. Some of the young are almost entirely black, 
while others of the same size, taken at the same time, show the color markings of 
the atiults. The maximum weight there is about 2 pounds. 

The species is a favorite in New York waters and well merits its reinitation as a 
choice food fish. It takes the baited hook very readily. Hard clam, cut small, 
shedder crab, black mussels and various kinds of fish are good baits. It goes in 
schools and associates with the Weak fish. 

128. Drum (Pogoiiins croiiiis Linnaeus). 

Pogonias fasiiiitiis Df.Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, Sr, \A. 14, fig. 40, 1842. 

Miigil gniiDiiciis MiTCHiLL, Rept. Fish. N. V., 16, 1814, New York. 

Mugil gigas Mitchill, Rept. Fish. N. Y., 16, 1814, New York. 

Labrus grunnicns Mitchii.l, Trans. Fit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y., I, 105, 1815. 

Siieiia fiisca Mitchill, Trans. Lit. &: Phil. .Soc. N. Y., F 409. 1S15, New Y'ork. 

Pogonias cliroiiiis DeKav, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 80, 1842. 

Pogonias chroinis Joru.\n & Gilbert, Hull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 568, 1883. 

Pogonias chroiiiis Be.an, 19th Rept. C'omm. Fish. N. Y., 261, pi. XIII, fig. 17, 1890. 

Color grayish silvery, with five dark broad bars, three of which extend upon the 
dorsal fins, these bars disappearing with age ; usually no oblique dark streaks along 
rows of scales above: fins dusky. 

Dr. Mitchill describes the Drum under the names Black Drum and Red Drum. 

The Black Drum which he described weighed 34 pounds. He had a specimen of 80 

pounds, and states that he was credibly informed of one that weighed loi pounds. 

The species, according to Dr. Mitchill was taken abundantly during the summer 

28 



434 .SEVENTH KErORT OF THE FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. 

with line and net. Tlie name Drum, he .says, is derived from the drumming noise 
made by tlie fish immediately after being taken out of water. " He swims in numer- 
ous shoals in the shallow bays on the south s'de of Long Island, where fishermen 
during the warm season can find them almost like a flock of sheep ; is a dull sort of 
fisli." The Red Drum he considered merely a \'ariety of the Black Drum. Dr. 
DeKay says of the species, which he calls the Big Drum: " They are gregarious, 
and frequentl)- taken in great numbers by the seine during the summer along the 
bays and inlets of Long Island." DeKay adopted a different specific name for the 
young of this species, and called it the Banded Drum. Other names for this stage 
given by DeKay are : Grunter, Grunts, Young Drum and Young Sheepshead. He 
saw the young in September, and states that it is found in New York waters also in 
October and November. The adults, according to DeKay, are a coarse food, but 
the young are considered a great delicacy. 




The Drum is occasionally taken on our coasts as far north as Cape Cod ; south- 
ward it extends to the Gulf of Mexico. 

The Drum is an occasional summer visitor in Gravesend Bay. In the fall of 
1896 14 young individuals, 8 inches long, were brought from there alive to the 
aquarium, and lived until I-\-bruary 10, 1897, when the low temperature of the water 
(38°) killed them. In the fall of 1897 none were seen in the bay. 

In the vicinity of Woods Hole, Mass., the Drum is very rare. Dr. Smith records 
the first one as having been taken May 7, 1874, and it has been observed only three 
or four times since. The recent specimens have been caught in traps at Quisset 
Harbor in the latter part of September or early in October; these specimens weigh- 
ing each 4'/^ or 5 pounds. The largest Drum recorded was taken at St. Augustine 
l'"la., and weighed 146 pounds. The large fish are not much valued for food, but 
small ones are said to be excellent. 



THE KOOI) AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YURI' 



435 



129. Fresh-water Drum ; White Perch (Aphdinotus ^^ryunnicus Rafinesque). 

Aplodinotiis i^^nuiiiiciis Jordan & ?:vf.rmann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 1484, 1898, 

pi. CCXXVI, fig. 5 74, 1900. 
Haploiiionotiis gniniiicns Jordan & (Iilbf.rt, Kull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 567, 1883. 
Corvuuj o,a,la DeKay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 73, pi. 21, fig. 63, .842, Lakes Erie and 

Ontario. 

The color is grayish, darker on the back ; lower parts silvery. Young specimens 
have dark spots along the rows of scales, forming oblique lines. 

The Fresh-water Drum has received a great number of common names. In the 
Ohio Valley and South it is known as the White Perch; in the Great Lakes region 
it is called Sheepshead or Fresh-water Drum on account of its resemblance to the 
Salt-water Drum. At Buffalo and ]5arcelona, New York, it is known as Sheepshead. 




FRESH-WATER DRUM. 

The name Crocus, used on lakes of Northern Indiana, is a corruption of Croaker, a 
name of a marine fish of the same family. In the Southern States the name Drum 
is generally applied to the species, and in addition the terms Thunder Pumper, 
Gaspergou and Jewel-head are used. Gaspergou is a term used in Arkansas, Louisi- 
ana and Texas. The names Drum, Croaker and Thunder Pumper have reference to 
certain sounds produced by the fish, either by means of its air bladder or by grind- 
ing together the large molar-like teeth in the pharynx. The name Jewel-head prob- 
ably refers to the otoliths or ear bones, frequently called lucky stones, which are 
found in the skull of this species. In Texas, adjacent to Mexican territory, occurs 
the name Gaspagie, a variation of the name Gaspergou. 

The Fresh-water Drum is widely distributed ; it occurs in Lake Champlain and 
the entire Great Lakes region, the Ohio and Mississippi Valleys southward to Texas 
The U. S. Fish Commission obtained a specimen at Point Breeze, N. Y., on Lake 



436 SKVliNTII RKI'UKT OK llIK I'ORKSI', FISH AND GAME COMMISSION'. 

Ontario. DcKay reported it as \'ery common in Lake Erie, and called Shcepshead 
at Huffalo. .'\t the time of his writinsj the fish was scarcely ever eaten. It is found 
principall)- in lartje streams and lakes, antl rarely enters creeks and small rivers. In 
Western Texas the s[5ecies is r.ire. In the wilds of Te.xas, New Mexico and North- 
ern RIe.xico Mr. TuriJC has fi)und this fish in clear limestone streams emptying into 
the Rio Grande. 

This species is usually found on the bottom, where it feeds chiefly on crustaceans 
and mollusks, and sometimes small fishes. It is especially fond of Crawfish and 
small shells, such as Cyclas and Paludina. Mr. Turpe mentions water plants as 
forming part of its food, and states that it will take a hook baited with worms or 
small Minnows. 

The Fresh-water Drum grows to a length of 4 feet and a weight of 60 pounds, 
but the average market specimens rarely exceed 2 feet in length, and in man\- parts 
of the West much smaller cncs are preferred. Nothing is recorded about the breed- 
ing habits of this species, and as to its edible cjualities there is the greatest differ- 
ence of opinion. Some writers claim that its flesh is tough and coarse, with a 
disagreeable odor, especially in the Great Lakes. Individuals from the Ohio River 
and from more southern streams arc fairly good food fish, while in Te.xas Mr. Turpe 
considers it one of the most excellent of the fresh water fishes, comparing favorably 
with Black Bass. Mr. Ridgway, of the National Museum at Washington, pro- 
nounces the species from the Wabash Ri\'er in Indiana a fine table fish, although, he 
says, other people there consider it inferior. Richardson described what is sup- 
posed to be a deformed specimen of this Drum under the name of Malashegany, 
which he had fiom Lake Huron. He described it as a firm, white, well-tasting fish, 
but never fat and requiring much boiling. 

130. Bergall ; Cunner ; Chogset ; Nipper 1 Tauiogolabrus adspcrsus Walbaum). 

Tijuloga CiViii/i-a MrrcHii.i,, Rept. l''ish. N. \ ., 24, 1814, New York. 

Labrus chogset MrrcHiLi,, 'I'rans. Lit. iS; Phil. Soc. X. V., I, 402, pi. 3, fig. 2, 1815, New York. 

Lahriis chogset fulva Mitchill, 1. c. 403, 1815, New York. 

Creiwlabnis iininotatiis DeK.w, N. Y Fauna, Fishes, 174, pi. 29, fig. 90, 1S42. 

Ctenolabriis adspa-sus Jord.an & Gilbert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. .Mus., 599, 1883. 

Ctenolabriis adspersvs Bean, 19th Rept. Comm. Fish. N. Y., 251, iil. I\', fig. 6, 1890. 

Tautogolabriis adspersi/s Beax, Proc. U. .S. Nat. Mus., 87,1880; Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. 
Hist., IX, 368, 1897; 52d .\nn. Rept. N. Y. State Mus., 107, 1900 ; Jordan & Ever- 
MAXN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 11, 1577, 1896, pi. C'CXX.WT, lig. 595, 1900. 

Color bluish or brownish, usuall_\- with a brassy luster on sides; head and back 
sometimes spotted w ith brassy ; young with darkci' blotches and markings, and 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 



437 



often with a black blotch near the middle of the dorsal fin. Some individuals are 
yellowish and the young are often green. 

The Conner is known also as Chogset and Bergall (this changed to Bengal in 
Great Egg Harbor Bay, N. J.i. Mitchill gives the name of IMue fish as in use in 
New York in 1815 ; Perch, Sea Perch and Blue I'erch are New England names given 
for this fish. Names used with reference to its bait-stealing propensities are : Nip- 
pe." and Bait-stealer. 

The Cunner is common from Labrador to at least as far south as New Jersey. 

The Bergall is found in Gravesend Bay throughout the year. In 1898 the writer 
found it in Peconic Bay and the adjacent Scallop Pond ; south side of Great South 
Bay opposite Patchogue ; P'irc Island Inlet; Blue Point Co\'e and Duncan's Creek. 



,((''-/'■>■ 




In 1899 young examples were taken at Water Island ocean beach, June 6. In 1901 
young of a yellow color and only ifs inches long, were seined in a creek near Fire 
Island Inlet August 15. Half-grown and adults were caught at a wreck on Tobey's 
Flat August 14, and at Smith's Point August 23. 

At Woods Hole, Mass., the Cunner is very abundant and remains during the 
entire year. Thousands perish from cold every winter. The fish spawns in June. 
The egg is about ' ^g inch in diameter, buoyant, and has been hatched in the tidal 
cod-jar in five days in water of a mean temperature of 56° F. By August i the 
young an inch long are observed. Outside of Gayhead and Cuttyhunk the fish 
reaches a weight of zy^ pounds, but the usual weight is from J^ to }^ pound. In 
February, 1901, thousands of Gunners were killed by extreme cold at Wood's Hole. 

The Cunner endures captivity very well, individuals having been kept three years 
or longer. The species is usually associated with the Tautog or Black fish ; in 
many places it proves a great annoyance to fishermen. In some parts of New 



438 



SlCVKXTll KKI'OKT OF TIIK l-UKKST, KISIl AND (lAME COMMISSION. 



Knglaiul the fish is hij^hly cstccnictl, but farther soutli it is not in liigli repute, the 
hartl scales and stiff, siiarp spines niakin;^ it inconvenient to prepare for cooking. 

Dr. Mitchiil describes a yellow variety of the Gunner, and DeKay has consid- 
ered the young, which has a black spot on the e.xterior portion of the dorsal fin, as a 
distinct species, named b)- him the Spotted Bcrgall. 

The )-oung var\' greatly in color. We have seen some dull brown, others that 
were yellowish, and still others of a bright green. Dusky bands are characteristic, 
also, of the young stages. Examples were taken at Blue Point Cove, and at Fire 
Island. The Gunner is a permanent resident, and does not retreat into deep water 
except in very cold weather. Its spawning takes place in June and July. The 
species is fished for with the hook, and is taken in nets, which are baited and set 
among tiic rocks. Tiie catch of the Irish Gunner boats of Boston has been esti- 
mated at about 300,000 pounds annuall)-. 



,-,>r'>i-5^^*v3^3Et^— ^''- 




itm^'^K^'. 



-si7 



■?? 



131. Black Fish; Tautog (Taiitoga on it is Linnxus). 

Taiitog;a iiiger Mit(.:hii.i,, kept. l'"ish. N. Y., 23, 1814, New York. 

Lahrus taiitoga Mitchili,. Trans. Lit. i!v: Phil. See. N. Y., I, 399, 1815, Long Island. 

Taiitoga americana DeKav, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 175, pi. 14, fig. 39, 1842. 

Tautoga onitis ]nKn.\y: ^ Gii.her r. Pull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 600, 1883 ; Bean, 19th 
Rept. Comni. Fish. N. Y., 252, pi. Y, fig. 7, 1890; Pull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., IX, 
368, 1897 : 52d .\nn. Rept. N. Y. State Mas., 107, 1900; Jordan & Evermann, 
Pull. 47, U. S. Nat. -Mus., II, 1578, 1S96, 1)1. CCXXXYII, fig. 596, 1900. 

Color blackish, greenish, frequently pale bluish or bluish black, with metallic 
reflections. Often with irregular bands of a deeper hue. Lips, lower jaw and abdo- 
men lighter, sometimes pale, sjirinkled with black points, and sometimes of the 
same color as the rest of the bod>-. E\e greenish. 



THE FOOD AND GAMK FISIIKS OF NEW YORK. 439 

This is better known in New York as the IMack fisli ; farther south it is styled 
Chub or Salt-water Chub, Moll, Will, George and Oyster fish. Mitchill gives the 
name Tautog as of Mohcgan origin. He publishes for the species the names Toad, 
Black fish and Runner. The Mohegan name Tautog, according to DeKay, is said 
to mean black. The fish is found from Nova Scotia to Virginia. It occurs in all 
parts of Great South Bay visited byus. Some of the localities at which it was 
taken are the following : Blue Point Cove and Life Saving Station, Great River 
Beach and Fire Island. The name used at Patchogue is Black fish. We saw a few 
Tautog among the fishes caught in a trap at Islip, October i, 1890. In 1898 speci- 
mens were obtained in Peconic Bay, at Blue Point Cove, Islip, Nichols's Point and 
Fire Island Inlet; young individuals were taken July 29, August 25, September i 
and 16. Following is a list of localities in which the Tautog was sparingly taken 
in Great South Bay in 1901 : Clam Pond Cove, July 19; Fire Island Inlet, August 
15; Cherry Grove, August 17; Smith's Point, August 23; Mouth Swan River, 
September 25 ; Off Widow's Creek (young), September 28 ; Off Swan River (young), 
October 8 and October 11. 

Dr. Mitchill gives a most entertaining account of the habits and mode of capture 
of this well-known species. At the time of his writing, in 1814, the price varied 
from 8 to 12 cents a pound. 

132. Spade Fish; Triple Tail; Angel Fish (C/Kctodi/'tiriis fabcr ^roxxssonet). 

Chatodon oriformis Mitchill, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y., I, 247, pi. V, fig. 4, 1815, 
New York. 

Ephippus gigas DeKav, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 99, pi. 23, fig. 71, 1842, New York. 

Ephippiis faher DeKay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 97, pi. 23, fig. 68, 1842. 

C/iieiodiptenis faber Jordan & Gilbert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 613, 1883; Bean, 
19th Rept. Comm..Fish. N. Y. 253, pi. VI, fig. 8, 1890; Jordan & Evermann, 
Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., II, 1668, 1896; IV, pi. CCXLVII, fig. 619, 1900. 

Grayish ; a dusky band across the eye to the throat ; a second similar band, 
broader, beginning in front of the dorsal and extending across the base of the 
pectoral to the belly; a third band narrower, extending to the middle of the sides 
from the base of the fourth and fifth dorsal spines; a fourth broader band from the 
last dorsal spines to anal spines, the remaining bands alternately short and long; all 
of these bands growing obscure and disappearing with age; ventrals black. 

The Moon fish is the Sheepshead Cha;todon of Mitchill, and the Banded 
Ephippus of DeKay. Dr. Mitchill records it as taken at the east end of Long 
Island, July 27, 1815. DeKay, in his Aric )or/S- />7?^«(7, has the following concern- 



440 SKVKNlll KKl'DUT OF THE FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. 

in<j the species: "About twenty years since, tliey were caught here in seines in 
great numbers and exposed in tlic market for sale. Some of them were l8 inches 
long. Those tlescribed by MitchiU were captured in i8i5and 1817. The poi)ular 
names of Three-tailed Shcepshead and Three-tailed Porgee were given them by the 
fishermen in allusion to their prolonged dorsal and anal fins . . . Schoepff 
states that it is called Angel fish in South Carolina." 

The species is called .Spade fish in the States bordering the Gulf of Mexico. 

The Moon fish has occasionally been taken as far north as Cape Cod. Dr. Smith 
records it as a very rare straggler in Vineyard Sound, Mass. A specimen was 






SPADE FISH. 

obtained in 1889, and three have been observed since. All were taken in traps at 
Mencmsha in August and September. The fish were uniform in size and about 16 
to 18 inches long. The species reaches a length of 2 to 3 feet. Southward it is 
recorded as far as (iuatcmala. It occurs in the West Indies. In Chesapeake Bay 
it is moderately common. 

As a food fish this .species is highly prized by those who are familiar with its 
qualities. 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 



441 



133. Rosefish ; Norway Haddock (Sr/'irs/cs utarinus Linna;us). 

Schastcs iiorvcgicus DeKay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 60, pi. 4, fig. 11, 1842, off New York in 
deep water; Storer, Hist. Fish. Mass., 38, ])1. \'II fig. i, 1867. 

Sebastcs inariniis Goode & Bean, Oceanic Ichth., 260, jjl. LXIX, fig. 24S, 1S96 ; Jordan 
& EvERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 1760, 1898, pi. CCLXVIIl, fig. 653, 1900. 

Orange red, nearly uniform, sometimes a dusky opercular blotch, and about five 
vague dusky bars on back. Peritoneum brownish. 

The Rosefish is abundant at the hundred-fathoms line off the south coast of 
New England, and has been found in depths of 180 fathoms. It breeds abundantly 
in late summer at these depths, and there is no reason to believe that the young rise 



y.dfUfH^ 





-^ 



ROSEFISH, 

to the surface. The fry were caught by the bushel in the trawl net of the U. S. 
Fish Commission steamer Fish Hawk. 

The species was originally described from Norway by Linnaeus. Cuvier had 
specimens from Miquclon, Newfoundland. Day mentions a number of localities of 
its capture about the British Isles, but it is rare south of Faroe Islands. It occurs 
on the southwest coast of Spitzbergen, and on the Norwegian coast it is found 
everywhere from Christiana around to the Varanger-Fiord. It also occurs in 
Greenland, and from Labrador, as a shore form, as far south as Cape Cod, and in 
deeper water as far south as New Jersey. 

In the Woods Hole region it was taken on the shore on December 20, 1895, in 
Great Harbor. Seven or eight specimens, 3 inches long, were found in a hole on a 
flat, where they had been left by the tide ; four or five of these had been stranded 
and were dead ; the others were alive when captured. Fishermen claim that they 



44? 



SEVKXTIl KKI'OKT OK TlIK FOKKST, KISII AND (lA.MK COMMISSION". 



sometimes catch these fish in traps very late in fall at Provincetown. (After 
Smith.) 

DeKay has the following remarks upon the fish : 

This is a very rare fish in our waters. It is called by our fishermen Red Sea 
Perch, and they say it is only found in deep water. By the fishermen of Massachu- 
setts it is known under the various names of Rosefish, Hemdurgon and Snapper. 
Fabricius states that it is a rather agreeable food, but meager. It feeds on Floun- 
ders and other fish, and takes the hook readily. 

The species reaches the length of 2 feet ; it is freciuently to be found in the Bos- 
ton markets, and is seen occasionally in the markets of New York with the skin 
removed, on account of the hard scales. 







134. Whiting; Silver Hake yMrrlitiius bilincaris Mitchill). 

Stomodon bilincaris Mitchill, Kept. Fish. N. \'., 7, 1S14. 

Gadiis merluciiis Mitchill, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. V., I, 371, 1815. 

GaJtis albiJiis Miichill, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. I'liihi., I, 409, 1817. 

Meilucitis alhidiis DeKay, N. Y. Fauna, Fisli., 280. pi. 46, fig. 148, 1S42. 

Merluciiis bilincaris Be.\n, 19th Rept. Comm. Fish. N. V., 249, pi. lY, fig. 5, 1890; Goodf. 
& Bean. Oceanic Ichth., 386, fig. 330, 1896; H. M. S.mith. Bull. U. S. F. C, 1897, 
107, 1898; Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., Ill, 2530, 1898; Bean, 
52d Ann. Rept. N. V. State Mus,, 109, 1900. 

Grayish, darker above, dull silvery below ; axil and edge of pectoral somewhat 
blackish; inside of opercle dusky silvery ; inside of mouth dusky bluish ; peritoneum 
nearly black. 

The Whiting is known by the additional names of Hake and Silver Hake. 
Mitchill describes it as the Hake, Giidiis mcrlncius. He states that it is caught with 
the other Cod. DeKay called it the American Hake. He styles it a rare fish in the 
waters of New York, and, when caught, alwa}-s associated with the common Coil. 
The specimen described by DeKay was taken in November off Sandy Hook. In 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 



443 



his JVi'zc York Faiiua, lie mentions Mitchill's description of a specimen which 
measured 21 inches in length. 

The Whiting ranges from Labrador to Virginia. Young examples have been 
found even farther south in very deep water. This fish occurs in Gravesend Bay in 
spring and fall. In Great South Bay no individuals were seen by the writer during 
the summer, but an individual was obtained late in the fall by Capt. Thurber. Octo- 
ber 28, 1898, several examples were received from the Atlantic, ofT Southampton. 

According to Dr. Smith, the species is abundant every fall at Woods Hole, Mass., 
and some years it is common in summer. The fish swims close to the shore, and is 
caught in considerable numbers at Buzzards Bay at night with spears. Large indi- 
viduals weighing 5 or 6 pounds are caught in traps. The young, measuring 2^/^ to 3 
inches long, are seined in the fall about Woods Hole. The names in use for the fish 





r -^ 



in that locality are Silver Hake, Whiting, and Frostfish. In Massachusetts Bay the 
Whiting is a frequent visitor to the shores and is probably a resident of the middle 
depths. The young are frequently trawled in deep water. 



135. Pollack {Pollachins vircns Linna;us). 

Gadus pttrpiircits Mitchili,, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y., L 37°, iS'S- 
Merlangus piiipiircus DeKav, N. Y. Fauna, Fish., 286, pi. 45, fig. 147, 1S42. 
Mcrlangus carhoiniriiis Df.Kav, N. Y. Fauna, Fish., 287, pi. 45, fig. 144, 1842. 
Merlangus liptociphaliis 1>f.K.av, op. cit. 288, pi. 45, fig. 146, Long Island. 
PoUachius vircns '&'E.\^, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., IX, 371, 1897; Jordan & Ever- 
MANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., Ill, 2534, 1S98; IV, pi. CCCLIX, fig. 886, 1900. 

Greenish brown above; sides and below somewhat silvery; lateral line pale ; fins 
mostly pale, sometimes a black spot on the axil. 

The Pollack is a native of the North Atlantic. It is common northward on both 
coasts, and extends south to France and New Jersey. Mitchili described the fish 
under the name of the New York Pollack. DeKay mentions it under several 



444 SKVKNTIl KKI'DKl' UK IIIK KOKKST, 1 ISll AM) CA.MK (OMMISSIOX. 

names, the New York Pollack, the Coalfish, and the Green Pollack. DeKay says 
the fish is taken w ith the common Cod, but is by no means common on the coast 
of New York. He saw a specimen weighing 17 pounds, and measuring 38 inches in 
length. In another description he states that the Coalfish is often taken off the 
harbor of New York in company with the Cotl, and is known as Pollack and ]51ack 
Pollack. The thirtl form under which the fish was known to DeKay was described 
by him from a specimen captured b\- hook out of a large school in Long Island 
Sound. The Pollack enters (iravesencl Hay in the fall. In captivity it is a ravenous 
feeiler. It requires cold water and will not endure high temperatures. 

DeKay states that the fish flipped in the same manner as the Menhaden, and was 
at first supposed to be of that species. The school seemed to be very timid, for, on 
a very slight noise in the boat, they all disappeared. 

Dr. Smith states that adult Pollack appear in Vineyard Sound, Great Harbor, 
Woods Hole, Mass., in May, following the run of Cod. They depart when the tem- 
perature of the water reaches 60° or 65°. In April there is a run of Pollack measur- 
ing from I to I ^j inches long. By June, when these fish leave, they have reached a 
length of 4 inches. In fall there is a small run of Pollack 7 or 8 inches long. The 
average weight of adults in that locality is about io pounds, the largest one seined 
having weighed 14 pounds. In Massachusetts Bay this is an extremely abundant 
species, and constitutes an important food resource. 

136. Tomcod ; Frostfish [Miin\<^a(/iis toiucod Walbaum). 

Gadus tomcodiis Mitchill, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Sor. N. Y., I, 368, 1815. 

Cadiis pruinosus Mitchill, Rept. Fish. N. Y., 4, 1814. 

Morrhiia pniinosa DeKav, N. Y. Fauna, Fish., 278, ])1. 44, fig. 142, 1S42. 

Alicrogadus tomcodiis PjEAN, 19th Rept. Comni. Fish. N. Y,, 248, \>\. in, fig. 3, 1890. 

Microgadus tomcod V.v.\^, Bull. Am. Mas. Nat. Hist., IX, 371,1897; Me.^rns, Bull. 
Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., X, 322, 1898 ; Imicenf, Smith, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. Y., 1897, 
40, 1898; H. M. Smith, Bull. U. S. I'. C, 1897, 107, 1898; Jordan & Evermann, 
Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., Ill, 2540, 1898; IV, pi. CCCLX, fig. 890, 1900; Bean, 
5 2(1 .\nn. Rept. N. Y. State Mus., 109, 1900. 

Color olive brown with reticulations antl blotches of darker; sides and back pro- 
fusely covered with d.irk i)unctulations ; umler parts lighter; dorsal, caudal and 
anal fins with dark blotches; pectorals ami \entrals dusky. 

This fish is very general!)- known in New York waters under the name of Frost- 
fish. It ranges from Nova Scotia to Virginia, and is excessively common in shallow 
bays in cold weatlier. Tiie name Frostfish is derived from the fact that it appears 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 



445 



after frosts have set in. The species ascends fresh-water rivers far above the limits 
of tide, and may be transferred suddenly from salt water to fresh without incon- 
venience. It spawns in the early part of winter, and is present at this time in such 
large numbers as to make its capture with dip nets comparatively easy. The Frost- 
fish is the commonest member of the Cod family in New York waters. Its size is 
small, but, from the fact that it occurs in such abundance, it is an important market 
species. It is subject to great variations in color; Dr. Mitchill enumerates among 
its varieties five forms: the Brown, Yellow, Yellowish White, Mixed Tomcod and the 
Frostfish. DeKay has published the statement that he has known the Frostfish to 
be taken out of the water along the shores of Long Island in great numbers with a 
common garden hoe. He was informed that the species occasionally ascends the 
Hudson as far as Albany. In Great South Bay we found large numbers of Tomcod, 




TOMCOD. 

which were covered with a lernrean parasite. The same thing has been observed 
frequently at Woods Hole, Mass., and other northern localities. We found the 
species in nearly all parts of the bay late in September in moderate numbers, and 
more plentiful at Fire Island October i. 

July 29, 1898, a few young Tomcod were seined in Peconic Bay, near South- 
ampton. In Gravesend Bay the fish is a fall and winter visitor. It does not live 
in captivity in summer. Dr. Mearns has found this fish in the Hudson River, 
where it is usually called Frostfi.sh by the fishermen, who catch many of them in 
their fyke and ice nets during fall and winter. It bites readily and is esteemed as 
an article of food. Dr. Mearns has found it during the entire year, and in August 
has found young Tomcod fully an inch or two in length. He states that this fish 
is very often found in eel grass along shore, half dead, floating on the surface, but 
able to swim a little. Mr. Eugene Smith says that the Tomcod runs up stream into 
nearly pure fresh water in the vicinity of New York City. At Woods Hole, Mass., 
it is abundant in winter, coming about October i and remaining till May i. It 



446 



SKVK.NTII RETORT OK TIIK FORKSl', KISII AND (iAME COMMISSION. 



spawns in December. In Massachusetts it is a resident species, enterint;- brackish 
waters ; it is common about the wharves and bridges in summer and is taken with 
nets and hooks in winter, in company with tlie Smelt. 

Tlie Tomcod reaches the length of about lo inches. It is an important food fish 
and its eggs have been hatched artificially by the New York Forest, Fish and Game 
Commission in large numbers. 



137. Cod {(Jadiis )iiorrhua Linnaeus). 

Gadus callarias Mitchili,, Rept. Fish. \. V., 5, T.S14 ; Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. V., 

L 367, 1815 ; Jordan & Ever.manx, liull. 47, U. S. Nat. Rhis., Ill, 2541, 1898 : I\', 

pi. CCCLXI, fig. 891, 1900. 
Gadus (J re If OS IIS and ri/f<cstris Mitchili., Trans. Lit. tS: Phil. Soc. N. V'.. I, 368, 1S15. 
Morrhua amoicaini DeKav, N. Y. Fauna, Fish., 274, pi. 44, fig. 140, 1842. 
Giidiis morhua Mitchill, Rciit. Fish. N. Y., 6, 1814. 
Gadus t)iorrhna GVWIHTE.K, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus., IV, 328, 1862 ; Goode & Bean, Bull. 

Essex Inst., XI, 8, 1879; Oceanic Ichth., 354, 1896; Bean, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. 

Hist., IX, 372, 1897. 



'""^"^dg^-'-- 




Color olive or yellowish brown: numerous dark brown spots on the body: fins 
dark. 

The Cod is an inhabitant of the North Atlantic and the North Pacific. It is a 
very important food fish and grows to a large size. Individuals weighing about lOO 
pounds have occasionally been taken. Mitchill has described this fiih under several 
names — the Torsh, or Common Cod, or Rock Cod of New York. DcKay calls it 
the American Cod. In November, 1897, the Cod was abundant in Gravesend l^ay. 
It thrix'es in captivity during the winter and si)ring, but cannot be kept during the 
warm nionllis without cooling the water. In Vineyard Sound, according to Ur. 
Smith, the Cod appear about April i to about April 15, when the Dogfish drive 
them away. After the middle of October the Cod come again but in less numbers 
than in the spring, remaining till the first wintry weather. Tiie fish spawns during 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 



44; 



the late fall and winter. The young are first observed at Woods Hole about the 
first of Ajirii, when fish about 1 inch long are seined. Most of the young leave by 
June 15, having attained a length of from 3 to 4 inches. No Ccd are seen between 
small fish of that size and fish weighing from ij4 to 2 pounds, which are caught in 
traps in the spring. Off the coast of New England Cod are very abundant in the 
deep waters, and they come up to the shoals and near the shores to spawn, from 
November about Cape Ann till February on Georges Banks. 

138. Haddock (Mi'hinogniinii/Hs (Cglijinus Linn;eus). 

Gadiis aglffiiiiis MncHiix, Trans. Lit. <& Phil. Soc. N. Y., I. 370, 1815. 
Morrhua ceglcjiiius DeK.^v, N. V. Fauna, Fish., 279, pi. 43, fig. i^?,, 1842. 
Melanogrammus (Ci;/r films Ukax, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., IX, 372, 1897; JoRD.'iN & 
EvERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., Ill, 2542, 1898; IV, pi. CCCLXI, fig. 892, 
j2a, 1900. 




Dark gray above, whitish below ; lateral line black ; a large dark blotch above 
the pectorals: dorsals and caudal dusky. 

Mitchill described the Haddock under the name Gadus ceglefinus. DeKay also 
describes the fish and gives a figure of it in his New York Fauna. He states that it 
is nearly as common in the New York markets as the Cod, and during the summer 
it is even more abundant than the Cod. 

The Haddock inhabits the North Atlantic on both coasts, ranging south to 
France and to North Carolina. Off Cape Hatteras it occurs in the deeper water. 
It is an important food fish, and reaches a moderately large size, attaining to a 
length of nearly 3 feet. 

At Woods Hole, Mass., it was reported by Prof. Baird in 1871. Dr. Smith, how- 
ever, says it is not found in Vineyard Sound or Buzzard's Bay, but is common 6 or 
7 miles off Gay Head, and the ocean side of Martha's Vineyard. In Massachusetts 
Bay it is a common resident species. 



448 SEVKNTII REPORT OK THE FOREST, EISII AND GAME COMMISSION. 

139. Burbot ; Lawyer ; Ling [Lota maculosa LeSueur). 

Gadiis maiii/osiis LeSuf.ur, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Fhila., I, 83, 1817, Lake Erie. 

Gadiis laciistris MncHiLU, Am. Month. Mag., II, 244, February, 1818. 

Lota inoniata Df.Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fish., 283, \>\. 45, fig. 145, 1842, Hudson River. 

Lota compressa DeKay, op. cit. 285, pi. 78, figs. 244, 245, 1842. 

Lota maculosa DeKay, op. cit. 284, pi. 52, fig. 168, 1842; Jord.an & Gilbert, Bull. 16, 

U. S. Nat. Mus., , 1883; Meek, Ann. N. Y. Ac. Sci., IV, 315, 1888, Cayuga 

Lake; Bean, Fishes I'enna., 138, pi. 35, fig. 75, 1893; Evermanx & Kendall, 
Rept. U. S. I'". C, 1894, 603, 1896; Bean, Bull. .\vc\. Mus. Nat. Hist., L\, 372, 1897, 
Canandaigua Lake; Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., Ill, 7550, 
1898; IV, pi. CCCLXIV, fig. 897, 1900. 

The color is dark olivaceous, reticulated with blackish ; the lower parts yellowish 
or dusky ; the dorsal, anal and caudal fins with a narrow dark edge. 




The American Burbot was first described by LeSueur from Lake Erie in 1817, 
and also from Northampton, Conn., under a different name. This commom fish has 
received a great many names, including the following: Marthy, Methy, Losh, 
Eelpout, Dogfish. Chub Eel, Ling, Lawyer, Lake Cusk, Fresh-water Cod, Aleby 
Trout and Mothcr-of-Flels. 

The southern limit of this fish appears to be Kansas City, Mo. ; according to 
Prof. Cope, it has been once taken in the Susquehanna near Muncy, Lycoming 
County; it is extreme!)- common in the Great Lakes; westward it ranges to Mon- 
tana and northward throughout British Columbia and Alaska to the Arctic Ocean ; 
it is iiKist abundant in the Great Lakes and lakes of New York, New England and 
New Brunswick; it abounds also in rivers and lakes of .Alaska. 

The Burbot was sent from Canandaigua Lake by .Mr. James .Annin, Jr., in 
November, 1897. It is hard to transport and still harder to keep alive in capti\ity. 
being especially liable to attacks of fungus. 

Dr. W. M. Beauchamp, writing fnun Baldwinsville, N. Y., April 9, 1879, said that 
the Burbot is found in .Seneca River and is abundant in Oneida Lake; that it is 



THE FOOD AND flAME FISHES OF NEW N'OKK. 449 

caught with a hook and is seldom eaten, though there is a way of making it 
palatable. 

According to Dr. Meek it is found rarely in Cayuga Lake. 

The average length of this species in the Great Lakes region is about 2 feet ; in 
Alaska, according to Dr. Dall, it reaches a length of 5 feet and occasionally weighs 
60 pounds; the size of the fish depends chiefly on the amount of food accessible 
to it. 

It is stated that the Burbot is usually found in deep water on mud bottom, 
except during the spawning season in March, when it frequents hard or rocky bot- 
toms. The eggs are small and numerous, and are believed to be deposited in deep 
water; Dr. Dall estimates that some individuals contain several millions of eggs; in 
Alaska the eggs are of a creamy yellow color, and the fish are found full of spawn 
from November to January. From the observations mentioned it will be seen 
that the spawning period extends at least from November to March ; according to 
Dr. Dall the males are usually much smaller than the females and have a smaller 
liver; in some males he found two or three gallbladders opening into a common 
duct, but he never observed this phenomenon in the female ; the eggs are laid sepa- 
rate or loose on the bottom of the ri/er. According to Baron Cederstrom, a 
medium-sized female of the European Burbot, which is a near relative of the Ameri- 
can species, contained about 160,000 eggs; in the European Burbot some eggs are 
clear, some yellowish and others almost colorless ; the period of incubation occupies 
from three to four weeks ; the eyes appear in 15 or 16 days ; the embryos swim by 
quick movements of the pectorals, usually toward the surface of the water, whence 
they fall passively to the bottom. 

The Burbot is extremely voracious, and feeds on bottom fishes and crustaceans. 
It destroys the Pike and such spiny fishes as the Yellow Perch and Sunfish. In 
Alaskan rivers it feeds on Whitefish, Lampreys and other species ; large stones have 
sometimes been found in its stomach. Mr. Graham took a stone weighing a pound 
from the stomach of a Burbot. 

In the Great_ Lakes region the Burbot is considered worthless for food; occasion- 
ally the livers are eaten ; in Lake Winnepesaukee, when caught through the ice in 
winter, the fish is highly esteemed ; in the fur countries- the roe is an article of food ; 
on the Yukon River the liver is eaten and the flesh is liked by some persons ; in 
Montana the Burbot is in great demand for food; the quality of the flesh appears 
to depend chiefly on the nature of the habitat of the fish. 

This is the only member of the Cod family permanently resident in the fresh 

waters of America. 
29 



450 



SEVENTH kEl'OKT OF THE FOREST, FISH AM) GAME COMMISSION. 



140. Hake; White Hake {Urophycis tenuis Mitchill). 

Gadiis tenuis iMiichili., Rept. Fish. N. \'., 5, 1814; I'rans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y., I, 
372, 1815, New York. 

Phycis tenuis DeKay, N. Y. Fauna, Fish. 293, 1842; Bean, 19th Rept. Comm. Fish. N. 
Y., 248, pi. Ill, fig. 4. 1890; Bean, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., IX, 372, 1897; Jor- 
dan & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., Ill, 2555, 1898; IV, pi. CCCLXV, 
fig. 901, 1900; Bean, 52d Ann. Rept. N. Y. State Mus., 109, 1900; 

Brownish, lighter ;iiul yellowish below ; fins very dark. Distinguished from 
P. c/iiiss ciiiefly by the smaller scales. 

DeKay calls the Hake the American Codling, adopting Mitchill's common name 
for the species. He says it appears to feed chiefly on smaller Crustacea; that it is 
very abundant at some seasons, but most abundant in the early part of autumn ; 
and varies in weight from 3 pounds to 30 pounds. He states that it is called indis- 




criminatel)- Hake and Codling by New York fishermen. Small individuals were 
seined in Meco.x 15av August 2, 1898, and a very young example was received 
from Southampton September 11. This was caught in the Atlantic. In Great 
South Ray small examples \\crc found sparingly at Blue Point Cove and Fire 
Island late in September. 

The Hake, according to Dr. Smith, is known also as W'liite Hake and Squirrel 
Hake in the vicinity of Woods Hole, Mass. P'ish weighing 1 to 1 yi pounds are 
abundant there in November, when a great many of them enter Eel Pond. Young 
fish I inch long and u])ward associate with Pollack in spring and are also found 
throughout the sunimer in consiilerable numbers. They are also obtained in sum- 
mer at the surface, under gulf weed and eel grass. 

As a rule the Common Hake will not live in water of a temperature above 60° F., 
but one indi\'idual sur\i\-etl the summer temperature in 189", and became plump and 
sleek after the arrival of cold weather. In summer it was much emaciated, and suf. 
fered greatly from fungus attacks. 



THE FOOD AM) CiAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 



451 



It is abundant on our shores from Labrador to Virginia, and its young arc among 
the commonest of tlie surface fishes in our bays and sounds, during the summer 
months. The Hake reaches a weight of 40 pounds, but in the markets the average 
weight is only about 10 pounds. The species frequents muddy bottoms and is 
local in its habits. Its food consists of crabs and other crustaceans, besides small 
fishes. 

The chief fishery for Hake takes place in the fall and winter months, and they 
will take the hook at night as well as during the day. Trawl lines arc the usual 
implements of capture. 




SQUIRREL HAKE. 



141. Squirrel Hake {Europliycis cliitss WalbaunV). 

Gadns hn^ipcs MrrcHii.L, Kept. Fish. N. Y., 5, 1S14 ; Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y., I, 

372, pi. I, fig. 4, 1815, New York. 
Phycis chiiss Bean, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., IX, 372, 1897. 
Urophycis chins Jordan &: Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., Ill, 2555, 1898 ; IV, 

pi. CCCLXV, fig. 902, 1900. 

Brownish above, sides lighter and tinged with yellowish ; thickly punctulate with 
darker; below pale; inside of mouth white; vertical fins somewhat dusky; anal fin 
margined with pale ; lateral line not dark. 

According to Jordan and Evermann, this fish is sometimes called Codling. It 
inhabits the Atlantic coast from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to Virginia, being very 
common northward. It is sometimes found in waters as deep as 300 fathoms. The 
Squirrel Hake occurs occasionally in Gravesend Bay ; it lives usually in the deep 
water off shore. 

At Woods Hole, Mass., according to Dr. Smith, it is abundant in May and June, 
and in October and November. It fills the traps and causes the fishermen much 
annoyance, as they cannot sell the fish. Its weight there is from 2 to 5 pounds. In 
Massachusetts Bay it is less abundant than the Common Hake. It was described 
and figured by Storer in 1867, under the name Phycis filamcntosiis. 



45: 



SEVENTH REl'URT OE THE EOREST, EISH AND GAME COMMISSION. 



142. Cusk {/>rosiin- brosinc Miiller). 

Brosmiiis Tiili^aris I UlKav, N. V. Fauna, I'ish. 289, pi. 44, fig. 143, 1842. 

Brosmiits brosme Goode & Bean, Oceanic Ichth., 385, fig. 329, 1896. 

Brosmc brosinc Jordan it Evurmann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., Ill, 2561, 1898. 

Color, brownish above, the .sides yellowi.sh, sometimes mottled with brown ; 
young uniform dark slate, or with transverse yellow bands ; vertical fins bordered 
with blackish, and with a while edge. 

The Cusk is described and figured by DeKay, but he did not see the fish and 
copied his information from Storer and others. Storer mentions a specimen weigh- 
ing 20 pounds, but the fish grows even larger. It inhabits the North Atlantic, 
ranging southward to New Jersey and Denmark. It is an important food fish. 




According to Dr. Smith, it was formerly not uncommon in Vine\'ard Sound, and 
was caught with Cod in April and May. It has been very rare for more than 20 
years, though a few are still taken in April. The average weight of individuals in 
those waters is 5 jjounds, and the ma.Kimum weight from 12 to 13 pounds. It is 
known also as Ling. In Massachusetts Bay and vicinity the Cusk is a common resi- 
dent on the inshore fishing grounds, where it occurs in great abundance, lurking 
among the stones, but it is soon caught up by the fishermen after the discovery of a 
new bank. 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 



453 



143. Halibut [flippDg/osshs /lippog/ossus Liiin.tus). 

P/euronectcs /lif^/^oglossiis Mitchill, Rept. Fish. N. Y., 10, 1814 ; Trans. Lit. cS:. Phil. Soc. 

N. Y., I, 386, 1815. 
Hippog/ossiis vulgaris Dt.¥.\\,'^.\. Fauna, Fish., 294, pi. 49, fifi. 157, 1842; Storer, 

Hist. Fish. Mass., 192, pi. XXX, fig. i, 1867; Goode, Fish. lV Fish. Ind. U. S., I, 

189, pi. 54, 1884. 
mppoglossus kippoglossiis ]'.mx).\ii & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., Ill, 261 1, 

1898; IV, pi. CCCLXXI, fig. 918, 1900. 

Color, nearly uniform dark brown : blind side white. 

The Halibut lives in all northern seas, ranging southward to Sandy Hook, or 
beyond, and occasionally to the Farallones off San Francisco. 

The Halibut was described by both Mitchill and DeKay under its present name. 
DeKay says that the capture of the Halibut on the shores of Nantucket at one time 





^\] 



afforded employment to 80 vessels of from 60 to 80 tons each. He says the fish is 
very voracious, swimming near the ground and devouring other flat fishes, as well as 
shells and crustaceans. It occurs on both shores of the Atlantic as also in the 
North Pacific, migrating south on the approach of spring and returning in June or 
July. An individual was found some years ago near Colonial Beach, in the Potomac 
River. The fish grows to the length of 8 feet or more, and the weight of several 
hundred pounds. It is a very valuable food fish. In the Pacific, according to 
Jordan and Evermann, it extends its range southward to the Farallones, off San 
Francisco. 

The Halibut was formerly not very uncommon in Vineyard Sound, where it is 
now very rare. In 1872 and 1S73 V. N. Edwards caught a number weighing 235 or 
240 pounds while fishing for Cod. April 16, 1900, a Halibut weighing lOO pounds 
was caught off Block Island by Cod fishermen, and was taken to Newport. The fish 



454 SKVK.N 111 KKrokr ok TIIK l-C^KIiSX, I'lSIl AMI CA.ME COMMISSION. 

was very abundant at one time in Massachusetts Hay, but is now found chiefly in 
depths of lOO to 250 fathoms in the slopes of the outer banks. In August, 1878, a 
Halibut weighing over 200 pounds was caught in Gloucester Harbor. 

144. Rough Dab {ffi/'pi\i[/ossoiih-s />/a/fs.<:oidcs Fabricus). 

r/atessa dcntata DeKav, X. \'. Fauna, Fisli., 29S, 1842, New York markets. 
Hippoglossoides platessoiilis (.'tooiw., Fish cJc Fish. Iml. L'. S., I, 197, ])l. 55, 1884; Iordan 

& EvKRMANN, Bull. 47, U. .S. Nat. .Mus., Ill, 2614, 189S; IV, ]il. CCCLXXII, 

fig. 919, 1900. 

Reddish brown, nearly plain. North Atlantic ; abundant northward on both 
coasts. 



.,# 



# 






^».^i \ 






ROUGH DAB. 



DeKay describes this Flounder under the name of the Toothed Flatfish. He 
said it was extremely common in New York markets, where it is called the Summer 
Flounder, and that it grows to the length of 25 inches. It is a rather common food 
fish of tile deep waters northward on both sides of the North Atlantic, ranging 
habitually south to Cape Cod and the coasts of Kngland and Scandinavia. At 
Woods Hole it is sometimes called Sand Dab and Rusty I'lounder. Dr. Smith says 
it is not common there, but is fouiul some years in winter in inshore waters adjacent 
to Woods Hole ; specimens have been taken in I'ebr^iary on lines. One year some 
were caught in a fyke net in Great Harbor. In Massachusetts Bay it is a common 
species in the deep waters, approaching the shores in winter. 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 455 

145. Summer Flounder (Paralichthys dcntatus Linnteus). 

Pleuroncctcs dcntatus Mitchill, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y., I, 390, 1815. 

Pleuronectcs melaiiogaster Mitchill, oj). cit. 390, 1815, New York. 

Platessa ocellaris DeK.\y, N. Y. Fauna, Fish., 300, ])1. 47, fig. 152, 1842. 

Paralichthys dcntatus Goode, Fish & Fish. Iiid. U. S., I, 178, 18S4 (part); Bean, 19th 
Rept. Comm. Fish. N. Y., 246, pi. II, fig. 2, 1890; Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., IX, 
372, 1897; Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., Ill, 2629, 1898; IV, 
pi. CCCLXXIII, fig. 922, 1900; Bean, S2d Ann. Rept. N. Y. State Mus., no, 1900. 

Blackish olive, mottled and blotched with darker; in life light brown; adults 
with numerous small white spots oil body and vertical fins; sometimes a series of 
larger white spots along bases of dorsal and anal ; about 14 ocellated dark spots on 
sides, these sometimes inconspicuous, but always present ; a series of four or five 
along dorsal base, and three or four along anal base, those of the two series opposite, 
and forming pairs; two pairs of smaller, less distinct spots midway between these 
basal series and lateral line anteriorly, with a small one on lateral line in the center 
between them ; a large distinct spot on lateral line behind middle of straight por- 
tion ; fins without the round dark blotches. 

Is styled Flounder, or Summer Flounder, Turbot Flounder, Toothed Flatfish, 
Fluke, and, in Great South Bay, it shares the name Flatfish with the Pscudoplcnro- 
ncctcs aiiicricaiiiis. Brail and Puckermouth are names applied to it in Rhode Island. 
The name Fluke is the one most frequently used on Long Island. 

The Fluke is a very abundant fish and is found on the eastern coast from about 
Cape Cod to the Gulf of Mexico. Centers of abundance are found on the Connecti- 
cut coast and on Long Island. 

It is a summer visitor in Gravcsend Bay, arriving in May or June and leaving 
when cold weather begins. It frequents the sandy flats for the purpose of feeding 
on little fishes, which it destroys in large numbers. A Fluke will often be found 
with eight or 10 little Blackfish in its stomach, and young Mackerel suffer greatly 
from its depredations. In Great South Bay this fish was found at Blue Point Cove 
and at Fire Island late in September, and was caught in traps at Islip, October i, 
1890. 

Small Fluke were collected in Mecox Bay, Blue Point Cove and at Islip in Aug- 
ust, 1898. Adults were obtained at Fire Island Inlet September 16 of that year, 
when they were abundant. In 1901 the fish were taken at Fire Island Inlet, Blue 
Point, and Smith's Point. August i they were feeding on small Menhaden. The 
next day they were seen in Wigo Inlet, and again chasing young Menhaden. On 



456 SKVEXTIl KKI'OKT OV TlIK KOKKST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. 

tliat date more than half a barrel were caught in the inlet near buoy No. 2, with 
young Menhaden for bait. One of the Fluke disgorged a Sand Lance. 

It feeds on small fishes, crustaceans, moUusks and occasionally on sand dollars, 
and one of its favorite foods is said to be the .Squid. This fish is found generally in 
.salt water, but frequently ascends fresh streams. Unlike the Flatfish, it moves off 
into deep water in winter, and may be found in summer near the shore.s. The 
Fluke has the same habit as the Flatfish, of burying itself in the sand when alarmed, 
or secreting itself from its prey. It is often found feeding about wharves, whose 
supports furnish it a suitable hiding place from \\ hich to dart on small fishes when 
they are congregated in schools. I have seen large individuals cautiously wriggling 
their way upward in the concealment of a wharf pile till within easy reach of a 
shoal of Silversidcs, when a sudden dart into the midst of the school would result 
in the capture of a fish, and the Flounder would leisurely sink to digest its victim 
and prepare for another onslaught. It has been known to reach a weight of 26 
pounds. Dr. Goode has seen individuals measuring 3 feet in length. The fish is 
caught largely in weirs and traps. It is probable that more of them are taken in 
Vineyard Sound and in Rhode Island waters than on any other parts of our coast. 
The fishing season extends from May to October. The)- are carried alive in well- 
smacks to the markets. Menhaden is the bait principally used for the capture of 
the Fluke by hook and line. 

146. Southern Flounder [Paralichtliys Ictliostigmiis Jordan & Gilbert). 

Platcssa oblonga DeKay, N. Y. Fauna, Fish., 299, pi. 48, fig. 156, 1842, New York, not 

Pleuroncctcs ohlongus Mitchill. 
Paralichthys dentatus Jordan & Gilbert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 822, 1883. 
Paralichthys ktlwstigmus Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., Ill, 2630, 

1898. 

Color dusky olive, with a few darker mottlings and spots. 

This is the fish which was described by Jordan and Gilbert under the name of 
the Southern Flounder. It inhabits the South Atlantic and Gulf coast of the 
United States, ranging north to New York. DeKay described and figured it as the 
Oblong Flounder, which he sa\-s grows to the length of i 5 to 20 inches and occasion- 
ally larger. He states that it is common along the sandy shores of New York, and 
is procured abundantly in the months of September and October ; that it is excellent 
eating, and usually sells at from 6 cents to 8 cents a pound ; that it is tenacious of 
life and can be preserved in good condition for a long period. 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 



457 



The Southern Flounder is very closely related to the Fluke or Summer Flounder. 
It is, however, always darker in color and almost uniform, while the Fluke is usually 
profusely spotted. The character by which it is best distinguished from the l'"luke 
is tlie number of gill rakers. The Southern Flounder has only 12, of which 10 are 
below the angle of the first arch, while the Summer Flounder has from 20 to 24, of 
which from 15 to 18 are below the angle of the first arch. 



147. Four-spotted Flounder (Paralichthys ob/ougns Mitchill). 

Pleuroiicctes oblongus Mitchill, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y., I, 391, 1815. 
Platessa quadrocellata Storer, Hist. Fish. Mass., 203, pi. XXXI, fig. 3, 1867. 
Paraliclithys oblongus Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., Ill, 2632, i{ 
IV, pi. CCCLXXIV, fig. 924, 1900. 



,#■ 



,^ri^[ 






5^^^v^j^'^ 




FOUR-SPOTTKD FLOUNDER, 

Grayish, thickly mottled with darker and somewhat translucent ; four large, hori- 
zontal oblong, black ocelli, each surrounded by a pinkish area, one just behind mid- 
dle of body below the dorsal, one opposite this above anal ; two similar smaller 
spots below last rays of dorsal and above last of anal. Atlantic coast, northward ; 
not abundant. 

The Four-spotted Flounder inhabits the coast of New England and New York. 
It is very common on the coast of New York and the neighboring islands. Mitchill 
described the fish in 181 5. It grows to the length of about 14 inches. Its common 
name relates to the four large horizontal, oblong black ocelli. At Woods Hole, 
Mass., according to Dr. Smith, it is common in May and June, scarce at other times. 
It is most abundant about June, during the run of Scup. 

Young fish are rarely observed, but in the fall of 1885 ^"d '8^6 large numbers 
two or three inches long were seen. The average length of adults there is 12 



458 



SEVENTH REPORT OF THE FOREST, FISH AXO GAME COMMISSION'. 



inclics. The fisli spawns in May, and its eggs liavc been experimentally liatched 
at Woods Hole. They are buoyant, '/.(, of an inch in diameter, and liatch in eight 
ilaj-s in water having a mean temperature of 51' to 54^ 1"". In 1S77 a single example 
was taken at the mouth of .Salem Harbor by the U. .S. Fish Commission. 

148. Sand Dab (Limam/a frrnigiiirci Storer). 

P/atissii fcrntginia DeKay, N. Y. Fauna, Fish., 297, jil. 48, fig. 155, 1842. 

LimanJa fcrriiginea Goode, Fish & Fish. Ind. U. .S., I, jil. 49, 1S84; Jordan & Ever- 

MANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., Ill, 2644, 1898; IV, pi. CCCLXXVII, fig. 929, 

1900. 

Brownish olive, with numerous, irregular reddish spots; fins similarly marked; 
left side with caudal fin, caudal peduncle, and margins of dorsal and anal fins lemon 
yellow. Atlantic coast, chiefly northward. 



K^.: 



><v.. 




This is also known as the Rusty Dab. It inhabits the coast of North America 
from Labrador to New York. DeKay calls it the Rusty Flatfish, which he says is a 
rare species, reported by the fishermen to occur only in deep water. The specimen 
dcscribctl by him was 18 inches long. According to Dr. Smith, it is \'ery common in 
Vineyard .Sound and observed by him in water from 10 to 12 fathoms deep, where 
it may be found throughout the year. There is no fishery, but numbers are caught 
incidentally while bottom fishing for other species. In Great Harbor a few are taken 
in fyke nets, onl)- in winter. The average length there is about 14 inches. In 
Massachusetts Hay it is a common resident species, inhabiting deep waters in 
summer, and a^jpruaching the shores in winter. 



THE FOOD AND GAME FISHES OF NEW YORK. 



459 



149. Flatfish ; Winter Flounder (Psciidoplcuroncctcs aincricaniis Walbaum). 

Pleuronectes planus Mitchill, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y., I, 387, 1815, New York. 

Platessa plana DeKay, N. Y. Fauna, Fish., 295, pi. 48, fig. 154, 1842; Storer, Hist. Fish. 
Mass., 195, pi. XXX, fig. 2, TS67. 

Platessa pusilla DeKay, op. cit. 296, pi. 47, fig. 153, 1842, New York. 

Pseitdoplciironcitcs aincriianiis Goode, Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S., I, 182, pi. 44, 1884; Bean, 
19th Rept. Comm. Fish. N. Y., 245, j)!. I, fig. 1, 1890; Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., 
I^. 373> '897; H. M. Smith, Bull. U. S. F. C, 1897, loS, 1898; Jordan & Kver- 
MANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., HI, 2647, 1898; IV, pi. CCCLXXIX, fig. 933, 1900; 
Bean, 52d Ann. Rept. N. Y. State Mus., no, 1900; Sherwood & Edwards, Bull. 
U. S. F. C, 1901, 31, 1901. 




//740''' '^ 




Dark rusty brown, spotted or nearly plain ; young olive brown, more or less 
spotted and blotched with reddish. 

The Common Flatfish is equally well known as Flounder or Winter Flounder. 
It ranges from the Chesapeake Bay to Labrador and appears to be alike abundant in 
both limits of its distribution. The Flatfish was found in Blue Point Cove, at Blue 
Point Life-saving Station, and on Fire Island Beach. It was moderately common in 
all of these localities. The species is a permanent resident of Great South Bay, but 
undergoes a partial hibernation in the mud in winter, and the adults in summer 
migrate into deeper and cooler water. A few individuals were observed by me in a 
fish pound at Islip, October i, 1890. 

Dr. Mitchill describes two color varieties of the Flatfish. One of these had a 
yellow margin on the lower side, surrounding the white of that side. This border 
\vas three-fourths of an inch wide and in striking contrast with the pearl of the con- 



460 SKVKNTH REPORT OF THE FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. 

tiguous parts within it and the brown of the adjacent fins. The other variety, 
obtained April 9, 1815, has "a whiteness of the upper side nearly as clear as that of 
the nether surface over rather more than half its extent. The anterior part is 
blanched in this manner. The dorsal fin very sensibly partakes of the lighter hue ; 
but its dark brown is tinctured with yellow, especially on the rays. Something of 
the same kind, though less distinct, is observable on the ventral fins, and on about 
a dozen rays of the anal." The length of this individual was 5 inches and the 
breadth 3. Dr. UeKay obtained a specimen in April which was reversed and 
double. " Its color on both sides was uniform bronze, with a white patch on its 
right side near the chin, almost entirely denuded of scales ; it had the singular pro- 
tuberance over the eye, noticed by Dr. Mitchill in his mclanogastcr." 

On the New Jersey coast young individuals are very common in summer, but the 
adults are rarely found except in the winter. 

At Woods Hole, Mass., this is a very abundant permanent resident, frequenting 
muddy or grassy bottoms. The average weight of those taken in the immediate 
vicinity of the Fish Commission Station was only i pound, but larger fish are found 
in the deeper water of the sound and bay. In October fish averaging 2 pounds, 
and apparently migrating, arc taken with lines in Vineyard Sound on sandy bottom. 

In the markets this species is extremely common in the winter and spring 
months, and the flesh is delicious even when the eggs are nearly mature. It feeds 
on small shells, crabs and other invertebrates living in the mud. When at rest it 
partly submerges itself in the sand or mud, and changes its color to suit its 
surroundings. 

In Long Island bays the Flatfish spawns from February to the end of March, 
and in July the young have attained to the length of half an inch. At Woods 
Hole, Mass., according to Dr. Smith, it spawns from h'ebruary to April. On being 
transferred to tanks containing running water, many deposit their eggs during the 
night. The eggs are \,\r, of an inch in diameter and very glutinous, sticking together 
in masses of various sizes. The average number to a fish is 500,000. March 6, 1897, 
a fish that weighed 3^ pounds after spawning furnished 30 fluid ounces of eggs, 
numbering 1,462,000. The eggs hatch in 17 or 18 days, when the mean water tem- 
perature is 37° or 38° F. 



IE "07 



